Safari 3: ALT Text Display Dead!

I’ve used Safari as my primary browser since version 1.x. In versions 1.x and 2.x, I had no problems whatsoever viewing ALT text on images (when I disable Display Images in Safari prefs). But at some point in Safari 3, ALT text died.

With images disabled in Safari prefs, I cannot display any ALT text on any website when running Safari 3 on Tiger or Leopard. Nor can I see ALT text when using Freeway’s Preview (which is tied to Safari 3’s webkit). I also cannot see any outlines around my graphics either, in Safari 3, like I can in Safari 1.x and 2.x.

If I use Firefox or other browsers, the ALT text displays just fine (when I have images disabled). I suspect Safari 3’s webkit is at blame, but when I Googled for this problem, I couldn’t find much of anything on it. I then thought it might be just my machine, but I found this problem to be true on many every Mac in our office that is running Safari 3. Ditto for my Mac at home. Intel and PPC Macs – it makes no difference. The common variable for the problem is newer versions of Safari 3.

Also I have heard from an associate who spoke with SoftPress that there is a bug in webkit that causes this. But if that’s true, I would expect to find something written on the net, somewhere! Not displaying ALT text is an enormous bug indeed! But again, I cannot Google up anything on this issue.

I would appreciate hearing the experiences of others.

Thank you.


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I can’t actually remember Safari “ever” showing alt tags, hence the problem of not catching and removing incorrect Freeway auto created alt tags of media file names. Then PC clients asking “why the strange alt tags?”. So be careful when you name an image file “that ***** logo.gif”, and put it in Freeway!

I have to check and work in Firefox.


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No need for you to “remember.” I still have Safari 1.x running on an old G4 and I confirmed today that it displays ALT text just fine, along with rectangular outlines around each graphic. Safari 3 does NOT display ALT text nor the rectangular outlines. (And as I said in my opening post above, Firefox displays the ALT text and graphic box outlines just fine.)


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Did Safari 2 display alt tags? I know if you add “title : comment” in the extended field, it takes some time for Safari to show this title tag. Maybe this lag was why I did not notice Safari 2 showing any alt tags


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HI,
webkit doesn’t display Alt tags when the images are switched off. So this will affect Safari, and any other app/browserr which relies on it.


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Title tags are irrelevant to this discussion. I am focused exclusively on Alt tags here. Title tags work fine.

Paul, Webkit or no, Safari 1.x and 2.x do indeed show Alt tags when the images are switched off. So if you define webkit=Safari3, then that would make sense as I cannot get “Safari 3.x” to display Alt tags when images are switched off. But to simply say, “Safari 3 can’t do it, so what?” doesn’t answer why Safari 1.x and 2.x could do it. Why in the world would Safari 3 be considered “more advanced” than versions 1.x and 2.x if such basic, necessary functionality is removed? It is this discussion I am trying to stimulate here.

At any rate, I’ve filed my “bug report” with Apple to express my tremendous displeasure.


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If this is indeed the case then Safari 3 would appear to breach
guidelines on accessibility, which is quite a serious thing, and
Apple should get a rap on the knuckles from the various organisations
that champion the rights of the disabled/sight impaired etc. It is
more than a bug if it is allowed to continue…
Cheers
Pete

On 25 Jan 2008, at 11:56, JDW wrote:

Title tags are irrelevant to this discussion. I am focused
exclusively on Alt tags here. Title tags work fine.

Paul, Webkit or no, Safari 1.x and 2.x do indeed show Alt tags when
the images are switched off. So if you define webkit=Safari3, then
that would make sense as I cannot get “Safari 3.x” to display Alt
tags when images are switched off. But to simply say, “Safari 3
can’t do it, so what?” doesn’t answer why Safari 1.x and 2.x could
do it. Why in the world would Safari 3 be considered “more
advanced” than versions 1.x and 2.x if such basic, necessary
functionality is removed? It is this discussion I am trying to
stimulate here.

At any rate, I’ve filed my “bug report” with Apple to express my
tremendous displeasure.


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Exactly, Pete! EXACTLY! That’s why I’ve not been able to figure out why no one outside this forum is talking about it! Does the entire world no longer use Safari? Are Safari 3 users THAT apathetic toward people who need ALT text? What’s wrong with Apple in not fixing this serious bug in webkit?!


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Its not irrelevant other people want a “Freeway” solution to this problem, if they are reading this thread…

This is why we’ve been using the “title” tag, for very important items that I “do” want to be seen in Safari 3 as well as a PC.

Title tags are irrelevant to this discussion.


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dwn, you’re misunderstanding the point of this thread.

Title tags are different from Alt tags. Title tags pop out at you. Alt tags don’t. Each type of tag has its own importance and use. Title tags are not substitute for Alt tags, as any informed web designer will tell you. That is precisely why I said that Title tags are irrelevant to this thread but are very relevant to other threads that focus on the general need for supplementary text tags on graphics. Title tags are important. But I am not focused on them here.

I specifically opened this particular thread, not to focus on Title tags because title tags work fine in Safari 3. I opened this thread to focus on Alt tags because even though they ONCE worked fine in Safari 1.x and 2.x, Alt tags are now dead in Safari 3. I don’t want Title tags as a substitute so as to cover up a bug in webkit.

In addition, the rectangular outlines around graphics, when graphics are disabled in the prefs, no longer display around the graphics like they once did in Safari 1.x and 2.x. Title tags have nothing at all to do with that whereas Alt text does. Why? Open Safari 1.x or 2.x, disable graphics and have a look. Where do you see the Alt tags? Inside the rectangular outlines of the graphics. So those rectangular outlines are linked to the ALT tags, but not to Title tags.

I hope this makes it clear what I meant by “irrelevant” to this thread. Title tags have their place, but they are no substitute in my mind for Alt tags.

Thanks.


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I know, you know, title tags are different, and I see the point of the thread, I just thought I’d chip in with a (part) Freeway related solution to display (simulate) alt tags (with images on) in Safari 3. Seeing this is posted in Freeway Talk and not an Off Topic subject.

Title tags are different from Alt tags. Title tags pop out at you. Alt tags don’t. Each type of tag has its own importance and use. Title tags are not substitute for Alt tags, as any informed web designer will tell you.


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The PC population has alt tags “pop out at you” on every FW4 site they view. You can simulate the same effect in Safari 3. Adding a title tag, in addition to your alt tag.

Title tags pop out at you. Alt tags don’t.


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Could someone please explain how to add a ‘Title tag’, in addition to usual ‘Alt tag’, so that when a picture is viewed in Safari you see the title of the picture.

Tanks


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Could someone please explain how to add a ‘Title tag’

To add a title attribute to an image, select it and choose Item >
Extended (or press Command-Option-X) to open the Extended Attributes
dialog. In there, click New and type “title” in the Name field
(without the quotes of course) and your title text in the Value field.

To add a title attribute to a link, select the link object or text,
choose Edit > Hyperlink (or type Command-K) and simply type your text
into the Title field in the Edit Hyperlink dialog.

k


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