This document discusses web standards and accessibility in SharePoint 2010. It provides an overview of key standards like HTML, XHTML, WCAG and WAI:ARIA. It also summarizes common validation issues in SharePoint 2010 like legacy markup, Silverlight and Rich Text Editor problems. Potential solutions and workarounds are presented. The document concludes with an emphasis on the importance of accessibility and standards compliance from the start of a SharePoint project. Resources for further information are also included.

1. Web standards & AccessibilityWeb Content Management

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3. Session objectivesYou understand the difference between and the importance of web standards and accessibilityYou can explain the web standards and accessibility investments in SharePoint 2010You know the most common web standards and accessibility issues with SharePoint 20103

4. Web standards & accessibility 1014

5. Web standardsGrammatical correctness of markupStandards typesHTML 4.01XHTML 1.0/1.1Standards levelsTransitionalStrictFramesetQuirks mode5

6. AccessibilityA way to guarantee interoperability of the websiteAny OSAny browserAny deviceStandardsWCAG 1.0/2.0WAI:ARIASection 508 (US)Webrichtlijnen overheid (NL)Accessibility Levels6

7. Accessibility in SharePoint 20107

8. SharePoint 2010 Web standards & accessibility factsStandardsWell-formed XHTML 1.0 StrictWCAG 2.0 Level AAWAI:ARIAImplemented in SharePoint Foundation 2010Except forCentral AdministrationSettings UI8

9. Well-formed vs. Valid XHTMLWell-formed XHTMLLower-case tagsSelf-closing elementsAttributes’ values wrapped in quotesIn-line elements wrapped in block elementsDoctypes everywhereSharePoint 2010 supports WAI:ARIAMarkup for Accessible Rich Internet ApplicationsNot in XHTML DTD!9

10. Accessibility in SharePoint 2010SharePoint aims at WCAG 2.0 AAWAI:ARIAAccessible Rich Internet ApplicationsSupported by the latest browsersImplemented across the whole platform10

11. Part IWeb standards validation problem areas in SharePoint 201011

12. Validation problem areasLegacy markupSilverlight Web PartWebPartZoneWebPartPageImageFieldRich Text Editor12

13. Legacy markupProblemname attribute on the form elementSolutionConfigure XHTML Conformance to StrictPer WebApp setting (web.config)<xhtmlConformancemode="Strict"/>13

14. Silverlight Plugin GeneratorProblemSLPG doesn’t escape JavaScript codeSLPG uses iframe to solve caching issue with Safari (?)SolutionAdd comments before loading the JavaScript<scripttype="text/javascript">//<![CDATA[//]]></script>...and get rid of the iframe14

15. WebPartZoneProblemRenders tables around Web PartsAdds non-existing attributes toWeb Part’s div(HasPers, allowDelete, etc.)SolutionCustom Control AdapterOverride the renderingDrawbacksBreaks WPSC!!!15

16. WebPartPageProblemRenders hidden Web Part Zone using hidden input fieldsInput fields directly in the page insteadof wrapped in a divSolutionCustom Page AdapterWrap the contents in a div16

17. ImageFieldProblemUses HTML 4.01 to store the image valueSolutionIn code: retrieve the value asImageFieldValue and write theimg tag yourselfIn XSLT: Good luck!17

18. Rich Text EditorProblemWAI:ARIA markup not in XHTML DTDSolutionCustom Control AdapterRegex replaceDrawbacksExpensive on large pages18

19. Part IIAccessibility problem areas in SharePoint 201019

20. Webrichtlijnen overheid aka. WCAG 2.0 AA+CSS stylesIn-line stylesJavaScript links20

21. CSS stylesProblemCSS validation returns errorsSolutionReplacing with your own CSSDrawbacksRequires some serious tweaking21

22. In-line stylesProblemUsing style attribute is not allowedSolutionCustom Page AdapterRegex replaceDrawbacksVery expensiveMight loose branding/functionality22

23. JavaScript linksProblemLinks with href="javascript:..."SolutionCustom Page AdapterRegex rewrite of linksDrawbacksVery expensiveMight loose functionality23

24. 24Battle for checkmarks

25. Webrichtlijnen overheidValid XHTML and CSS as prerequisites of being accessibleIs it really necessary?Web standards vs. Accessibility:http://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200506/web_standards_vs_accessibility/25

26. Key takeawaysImplementing web standards and accessibility in SharePoint 2010 is easier than in MOSS 2007Plan for accessibility from day #1Accessible branding is the key to successBe careful what you promiseAccessibility on the Internet does matter26

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28. Resources:GeneralWeb standards & Accessibilityhttp://www.w3.orgWeb Accessibility Initiativehttp://www.w3.org/WAI/Webrichtlijnen overheidhttp://www.webrichtlijnen.nl/28

29. Resources: AccessibilityEvaluating website accessibilityPart 1, Background and Preparationhttp://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200603/evaluating_website_accessibility_part_1_background_and_preparation/Part 2, Basic Checkpointshttp://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200603/evaluating_website_accessibility_part_2_basic_checkpoints/Part 3, Digging Deeperhttp://www.456bereastreet.com/archive/200603/evaluating_website_accessibility_part_3_digging_deeper/29

30. Resources:Accessibility in SharePointAccessibility @ bloghttp://blog.mastykarz.nl/tag/accessibility/Best Practices for developing accessible web sites in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007http://blog.mastykarz.nl/go/best-practices-accessible-moss/The impact of developing an accessible web site in SharePoint 2007http://blog.mastykarz.nl/the-impact-of-developing-an-accessible-web-site-in-sharepoint-2007/30