Assistive technology reading tables

Versions that were used in these tests:

• HPR 3.02 (Alt+t for table reading mode; then all four arrow keys). Remember check Read row and column headings in Settings | Miscellaneous
• Window-Eyes 4.5 (CTRL+Num+ for table reading mode, then INSERT+arrows) Use CTRL+SH IFT+H repeatedly to get row and column headings announced.
• JAWS 4.51 (CTRL+Arrows to move around tables)) Note, JAWS says "row 3" and "column 2" at the end of a cell announcement. The sample tables have heading content "ex row" and "col" to distinguish from the automatic announcement.
• JAWS 7.1
• JAWS 8

Note: not all versions were used for every test.

Example 1 - Table using rowspan, colspan, rowgroup and colgroup

• JAWS 7.1 and JAWS 8 are able to read  column headers in both rows for the cells below. Which is terrific. Makes coding easier.
  But JAWS does not voice both  row headers in col# 1 and 2. For "America" it reads only the country names (although both columns have scope=row) For Asia it reads continent name only because scope=row has been set only for cells in column#1 as a test.
  
• With WinEyes 6, one can make it read just the continent name and column headers in first row. Not the col/row headers in second row or column. This is default behavior whereby it reads cell contents of first row and first column as headers. In fact WinEyes does this  for the “Contact Information” table with phone-fax# (example #9 below) I sent in
  earlier too. It does not read the scope =row set on cells in col#2.

Example 2

Reading of table with no structrual markup

• HPR 3.02: Treats row 1 and column 1 as headings, including corner which is a taken to be a heading for both first -row and first column.
• HPR 3.04: Reads no headings at all.
• Window-Eyes 4.5: Just as HPR uses content of row 1 and col 1 as headings information with corner serving as both row and column heading.
• JAWS 7.10 & JAWS 8.0: Just as HPR uses content of row 1 and col 1 as headings information with corner serving as both row and column heading.
• JAWS 4.51: Use row 1 and column 1 as assumed headings, but corner is taken as a column heading, not a row heading.

Example 3

Reading of table with only scope (corner has scope="col")

• HPR 3.02 and 3.04: Treats this exactly as marked up - corner, which has scope="row" is not read as a heading for row 1.
• Window-Eyes4.5 JAWS 4.51 and JAWS 7.1: treat this table with scope markup exactly as the one without scope markup. In other words the scope not recognized by Window-Eyes or JAWS.
• JAWS 8.0: recognizes the SCOPE element on the "corner" and it correctly reads it as a header for ROW 1, but it fails to ignore it as a header for "ex row 2". It should have ignored the corner when reading "ex row 2" because it was given SCOPE="row" not "col".

Example 4

Reading of table with TH in first row

• HPR 3.02 and 3.04: Same as Example 2 - as it should be
• JAWS 4.51 and JAWS 7.10 and Window-Eyes 4.5: Same as 1 and 2..

Example 5

Reading of table with th's in first column

• HPR 3.02 and 3.04: As marked, only headings announced are in column 1.
• Window-Eyes 4.5. Same as HPR. CHECK
• JAWS 4.51 and 7.10: Reads as in Example 1. No change from markup

Example 6

Reading of table TH's in row 2

• HPR 3.02 and 3.04: Treats row 2 as headings for rows 3 and 4, but not for row 1.
• Window-Eyes 4.5 and JAWS 7.10: Like HPR 3.02 treats row 2 as headings but not for row 1 - also reads column 1 as row headings. So it seems W-E 4.5: lets TH markup override first row, but if there are no marked up row headings, they use column 1.
• JAWS 7.1: lets TH markup override first row, but if there are no marked up row headings, they use column 1.
• JAWS 4.51: Reads as in Example 1. No change from markup.

Example 7

Reading of table TH's in row 2 and scope="col"

• HPR 3.02 and 3.04: Treats row 2 as column headings for rows 3 and 4, but not row 1. No row headings spoken as it should be.
• Window-Eyes 4.5, Just as in example 5. No change.
• JAWS 8.0 recognizes the SCOPE element and treats it properly as the heading.

Example 8

Reading of table with Diagonal as headers with id/headers.

• HPR 3.02: Exactly as marked up
• HPR 3.04: No headings read (a big surprise) - this is a regression from previous version..
• Window-Eyes: reads as marked up except that diagonal elements spoken with row 1 column 1 headings.
• JAWS 4.51 and 7.10: with row and coumn number greater than 1, JAWS reads the diagonal items as column headings, but continues to read col 1 as row headings. No headings annouced in row 1 or column 1.

Example 9 - simple table with scope=col and scope=row

and use scope=col.

Prepared by Jim Thatcher www.JimThatcher.com, Sailesh Panchang www.deque.com Phone: 703-225-0380 (ext 105),
Edited and supplemented by David MacDonald, 613-235-4902 of www.eramp.com