FRAME with valid TITLE |
Section 508 1194.22(i); WAI / WCAG 1.0 checkpoint 12.1
Issue Description The FRAME tag defined in the document does not have a valid TITLE attribute. A TITLE attribute of a FRAME tag is valid if the following conditions exist: it exists, it is not an empty string (""), and it is nor a blank string (" ").
How to fix Define a valid TITLE attribute for the FRAME tag. Title the frame to help frame identification and navigation by describing concisely the frame's content and role on the page. Since the TITLE attribute is not widely supported, providing titles as normal text at the top of the contents of each frame is sufficient for the purposes of 508 rule 1194.22(i).

As an alternative, use the same string for both the TITLE and NAME attributes. For example, the Lynx textual browser uses only the NAME attribute.

A TITLE string value is valid if it meets the following requirements:

- It does not contains any HTML tags
- It is not an empty string ("")
- It is not a blank string (" ")

Issue Explanation Frames are good for implementing complex navigational structures. However, if not implemented correctly they may become an obstacle for many users. Make sure your framed page can be accessed by any user using any possible technology in any possible context.

A general user interface design guideline is "to provide context and orientation information to help users understand complex pages or elements."

For frames, this means that the TITLE attribute should be defined because its value is the only thing non-graphical browsers show. In fact, each frame will be shown independently for the other ones, making it hard for the user to figure out their relationship. Titles like, "content area" or "navigationals" are much more informative than "left" or "top-frame".

Providing contextual information about the relationships between elements can be useful for all users. Complex relationships between parts of a page may be difficult for people with cognitive or visual disabilities to interpret.

Cognitive disabilities do not refer only to people who are mentally challenged, but also people who work under specific adverse contexts, such as people using an e-ticketing service in an airport hall, a speaking browser by phone in a noisy environment, a PDA where a quick decision is required, or a browser during a meeting where changing the mental focus is difficult.

Similarly, visually disabled people also include people who forget their glasses at home, who use a poorly lit display in a dark environment, or who use a speaking browser or screen reader over a phone.