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Implementing Rule G

§ 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

(g) Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

Tables need to be defined so that row and column headers are clearly identified. This means one cannot use tables presented using the <pre> tag, which renders the table as a block of typed text, with no rows or columns tagged. Tables must be marked up as tables with the <table> tag.

Column Headers

All column headers should be marked up using the <th> tag.

Example:

NameAddress
Jane Doe123 Main Street
John Doe456 Sunset Avenue

Code:
<tr><th>Name</th><th>Address</th></tr>
<tr><td>Jane Doe</td><td>123 Main Street</td></tr>
<tr><td>John Doe</td><td>456 Sunset Avenue</td></tr>

Row Headers

All row headers should be marked up using the <th> tag.

Example:

NameJane DoeJohn Doe
Address123 Main Street456 Sunset Avenue

Code:
<tr><th>Name</th><td>Jane Doe</td><td>John Doe</td></tr>
<tr><th>Address</th><td>123 Main Street</td><td>456 Sunset Avenue</td></tr>

Usually, tables of the above structure will not be used, because if enough records are included, the number of columns in the table gets quite large and horizontal scrolling is necessary.

Complex Tables

See Implementing Rule H for information on marking up complex tables.

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Implementing Rule H >

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