Navigation:  19: Working with the Internet > 19.14: Tables

Definition

 

Tables allow web page authors to arrange web page elements (i.e. text, graphics, etc.) in a specific format containing rows and columns. Tables can be used for both content (where the data makes more sense to the user in a table rather than linearly) and layout (to position text, or images, or other elements in a certain area of the web page).

 

Tables are made of columns and rows of cells (individual data containers) that combine to present information in a structured form, much like that of a spread sheet. Web page authors can implement tables in two different ways: to display data in columns and rows for easier navigation, or to layout data visually.  Tables that define visual layout (like positioning text in a certain area of the page) can be ignored by Window-Eyes because they do not require special access. For all other tables, Window-Eyes table mode allows you to traverse each cell, reading column and row titles as you move.

 

Navigation

 

T = Next Table

SHIFT-T = Previous Table

LEFT-BRACKET-T = Beginning of current Table

RIGHT-BRACKET-T = End of current Table

 

Entering Table Mode

 

Although you can navigate a table simply by arrowing down through the contents, many times, a table will make more sense by entering Window-Eyes table mode. When you come across a table on a web page, Window-Eyes will say table X (indicating the current table number), the title of the table if one is specified, start X rows (indicating the number of rows for that table) Y columns (indicating the number of columns for that table). Once table mode is on, Window-Eyes will treat the current cell as if it were the entire web page. All navigation and movement keys will apply to the cell until table mode has been turned off.

 

CTRL-PLUS/CTRL-NUMPAD-PLUS - turns on table mode. If you encounter a nested table (otherwise known as a table inside of a table, or a child table), Window-Eyes will automatically enable table mode for that nested table when pressing this hot key.

CTRL-MINUS/CTRL-NUMPAD-MINUS - turns off table mode for the current table. If you are in a nested table, pressing this hot key will return you to the previous table (or parent table).

CTRL-SHIFT-MINUS/CTRL-SHIFT-NUMPAD-MINUS - turns table mode off completely. This will NOT disable table notification. This is simply a quick way to get out of table mode when you are inside nested tables. For example, if you are inside a table that exists inside another table (which could even exist inside yet another table), pressing this hot key will take you out of every table, and put you back in the main web page.

 

For example, say you have a table that consists of the days of a given month. Each of those days could then have their own tables indicating the hours of the day (as in an appointment book). The tables containing the hours of the day are nested within the table that contains the days of the month. It is also plausible that a table consisting of employee names could exist in the table that contains the hours of the day which exists in the table that contains the days of the month. As you can see, nested tables can get confusing. Just remember that CTRL-MINUS will take you back a table (much like ALT-LEFT ARROW will take you back a page), and CTRL-SHIFT-MINUS will take you out of the tables all together.

 

For multiple tables on a page (tables that are not inside other tables, but by themselves) it is important to note that you will have to turn table mode on for each table. If tables are nested inside other tables, Window-Eyes will indicate this by saying table X.Y. For example, table 1.2 indicates that you are in the second table of a main table.

 

Moving Through Table Cells

 

Window-Eyes will treat each cell of a table as its own separate web page, meaning that all navigation keys are relevant only to the current cell while you are in table mode. In other words, in a table cell while in table mode, CTRL-HOME will move you to the top of the cell, rather than the entire web page.

 

The following keys will help you navigate a table:

 

INS-RIGHT-ARROW - Moves one cell to the right.

INS-LEFT-ARROW - Moves one cell to the left.

INS-UP-ARROW - Moves one cell up.

INS-DOWN-ARROW - Moves one cell down.

CTRL-INS-RIGHT-ARROW - Moves to end of row.

CTRL-INS-LEFT-ARROW - Moves to beginning of row.

CTRL-INS-UP-ARROW - Moves to top of column.

CTRL-INS-DOWN-ARROW - Moves to bottom of column.

 

All of the table commands refer to the regular keyboard keys and not the NUMPAD keys. When you use the INS-ARROW keys, Window-Eyes will read the cell header attributes followed by the cell data. Window-Eyes will either read the first 24 lines, or the entire cell, depending upon the Browse Mode verbosity option Read Entire Page. If the web page author has designated header, body, and footer areas of a table, and the appropriate verbosity options are enabled, Window-Eyes will announce the area you are navigating in as you move through the cells. Speak summary (CTRL-SHIFT-S) will say line X of Y, either no frames or X frames,  X tables,  RX CY (cell location), followed by any of the relevant options designated in the new page information verbosity options.

 

Reading Cell Headers

 

Window-Eyes has several options for indicating names of both columns and rows.

 

CTRL-SHIFT-H - This hot key will allow you to rotor between the following seven options for row and column announcement:

 

No title - No cell header information will be announced when moving through different cells

 

Attribute Only - If a web page author has designated certain cells to act as column and row headers, Window-Eyes will use those cells for column and row header announcement.

 

Column Title - This would read the contents of the first cell in the current column for a header whenever the user changes to a different column. If they arrow up and down a column it would not read a header.

 

Row Title - This would read the contents of the first cell in the current row for a header whenever the user changes to a different row. If they arrow left and right through a row it would not read a header.

 

Column or Row - This would only read one or the other. If the user goes to a different row then the row header will be read. If they go to a different column than the column header will be read.

 

Column and Row - This would always read both the column and row. If they are changing rows than the row header will be read first followed by the column header. If they are changing columns then the column header will be read first followed by the row header.

 

RX/CY - This would read the row number, and column number (the cell's coordinates) of the current cell.

 

Window-Eyes uses three methods to examine table headers: header attributes, TH tags, and first row/first column (the method used is determined by the verbosity options listed below). You can override the header announcement method by enabling the Header Attrib Override verbosity option. If this option is enabled, and header attributes exist for the current cell, Window-Eyes will read only the header attributes for table headers for that cell. If this option is enabled, and header attributes do not exist, Window-Eyes will revert to the selected table header method for reading table headers. If this option is disabled, Window-Eyes will use the selected table header method for reading table headers. If the table header method "Default Header To Off" is enabled, this option becomes irrelevant. These radio buttons control how Window-Eyes will handle table headers on startup. The table headers hot key will not effect this radio button group (although changing this option will immediately affect the hot key). If Window-Eyes is restarted, the table header rotor will return to the default option (specified with these radio buttons).

 

Verbosity

 

• Insert Beginning / End Message - This option will notify the user of the beginning and end positions of the table. For example, if a user navigates to a table with this feature enabled, Window-Eyes will announce, "Table X start." X is equal to the current table on the page. When the user navigates past the table, Window-Eyes will announce, "Table X End."
• Insert Beginning / End Message (Smart) - This option will notify the user of the beginning and end positions of the table found in smart table mode. Smart table mode differs from default table mode by attempting to eliminate tables that are used strictly for web page layout by examining certain characteristics of the table.
• Do Not Indicate – This option will turn off table notification.
• Include Table Summary – This option will add the table summary (if one exists) to the announcement of the beginning of the table.
• Include Table Size – This option will announce the table size in number of rows and columns.
• Include Row Grouping – This option will notify the user when they enter the table head, table body, or table foot (assuming they are designated in the table). Row grouping provides the web page author with a method to visually group sets of rows in a given table in order to create a more logical representation of the data.
• Indicate Merged Cells – This option will notify the user when a cell spans more than one row or one column by stating, "Spans X rows, Y columns," where X is the number of rows that the cell spans, and Y is the number of columns that the cell spans.
• Header Attrib Override – If this option is enabled, and header attributes exist for the current cell, Window-Eyes will read only the header attributes for table headers for that cell.
• Default Header To Off – With this option enabled, no table headers will be announced.
• Default Header To Attribute Only – With this option enabled, only specified header attributes (cells designated as headers) will be announced.
• Default Header To Column – With this option enabled, a dedicated Table Header (TH) will be read. If a TH does not exist, only the top most cell of the current column will be used as the cell header.
• Default Header To Row – With this option enabled, a dedicated Table Header (TH) will be read. If a TH does not exist, only the left most cell of the current row will be used as the cell header.
• Default Header To Column Or Row – With this option enabled, a dedicated Table Header (TH) will be read. If a TH does not exist, either the top most cell of the current column or the left most cell of the current row will be used for the cell header, depending on whether the user is navigating up and down through table cells (row header) or left and right through table cells (column header).
• Default Header To Column And Row – With this option enabled, a dedicated Table Header (TH) will be read. If a TH does not exist, both the top most cell of the current column, and left most cell of the current row will be used as cell headers.
• Default Header To RX, CY – With this option enabled, the current cell headers will default to row/column coordinates. For example, "Row 4, Column 10."