[thelist] Web Design on iMac > Graphics Software

it's USB...

www.ibrator.com

(ok, it's a joke, so if you are easily offended or are frigid, don't go 
there... and if you're too young, don't go there... and if you think i 
owe a tip, you're right on... if you go there anyway and are 
offended, flame me off-list...)

<tip type="alt attributes">
All of the sites you build should always have 'alt' attributes behind 
the images, unless the images are white-space only.  This is how 
you help ensure your sites are accessible, and conform to the 
specifications.

However, the 'tool-tip' that appears when a user holds his/her 
mouse pointer over an image (which displays the 'alt' attribute) 
does not appear for every user.  This is a "feature" introduced by 
Internet Explorer and Windows95.  Technically, the browsers aren't 
required to do this, and as time goes on, this method of rendering 
the 'alt' attribute will be replaced by the need to implement 
rendering for the 'title' attribute from the HTML4.01 specification.

As it stands, on Windows95 and higher, only Netscape Navigator 
4.x and above and Internet Explorer 3.x and above render the 'alt' 
attribute as a tool-tip.

On the Macintosh, Navigator doesn't do it at all (at least not 
through the 4.x versions), and Internet Explorer 5.0 does not do it 
unless the image hasn't completed loading.  Also of note is that 
Internet Explorer 5.0 will display the 'title' attribute, but not the 'alt' 
attribute as a balloon-help pop-up (since tool-tips are really MS 
Windows-specific).

Interestingly, Navigator 4.x (on MS-Win) will display the 'name' of 
an image submit button as a tool-tip, not its 'alt' value.  This can be 
confusing on forms, and makes me use plain-English names on 
my image submits.
</tip>