Technique F30:Failure of Success Criterion 1.1.1 and 1.2.1 due to using text alternatives that are not alternatives (e.g., filenames or placeholder text)
About this Technique
This technique relates to:
- 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Failure)
- 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) (Failure)
This failure applies to all technologies.
Failure techniques show examples of how content can fail particular WCAG success criteria. However, content may still satisfy those criteria if it includes equivalent/alternative content or functionality that does meet the normative requirements. See About WCAG Techniques.
Description
This describes a failure condition for all techniques involving text alternatives. If the text in the "text alternative" cannot be used in place of the non-text content without losing information or function then it fails because it is not, in fact, an alternative to the non-text content.
Examples
Example 1
Examples of text that are not text alternatives include:
- placeholder text such as " " or "spacer" or "image" or "picture" etc that are put into the 'text alternative' location on images or pictures.
- programming references that do not convey the information or function of the non-text content such as "picture 1", "picture 2" or "0001", "0002" or "Intro#1", "Intro#2".
- filenames that are not valid text alternatives in their own right such as "Oct.jpg" or "Chart.jpg" or "sales\\oct\\top3.jpg"
Tests
Procedure
- Check each text alternative to see if it is not actually a text alternative for the non-text content.
Expected Results
- If check #1 is true then this failure condition applies and content fails the Success Criterion.