maintaining accessible websites with microsoft word and xml eoin campbell, technical director, xml...

Maintaining Accessible Websites with Microsoft

Word and XMLEoin Campbell,

Technical Director, XML Workshop Ltd.

8 May 2003 © 2003 XML Workshop Ltd. 2

Overview

• Much website content originates in a word-processor such as Microsoft Word

• This is copied and pasted into web editors, resulting in poor-quality, inaccessible HTML

• You can save Word content directly as high quality, accessible HTML, using XML as an intermediate format


Background

• US: Section 508

– Legal obligation requiring federal departments and agencies to have accessible websites

• Europe: eEurope Action Plan

– EU-level policy initiative recommending that public sector websites should be WAI-accessible

• UK, Portugal

– National laws regarding accessibility of public sector websites


Current Practice

• Website content

– re-purposed from Word

– created in Word for convenience

• Converting from Word to HTML is slow, manual and error-prone

• Adding accessibility would be nice, but costs too much

• Generally available tools do not help authors create accessible content


Inaccessible HTML

<p class=“sechead”>Inaccessible HTML markup</p><p class=“LB”>Lists without list tags<p class=“LB”>Unexpanded acronyms: TLA.<p class=“LB”>Unmarked language changes: <i>Cúpla focail as Gaeilge</i>.


Accessible HTML

<h1>Accessible HTML markup</h1><ul><li>Lists with list tags</li><li>Expanded acronyms: <acronym title=“Three Letter Acronym”>TLA</acronym>.</li><li>Marked language changes: <i lang=“ga”>Cúpla focail as Gaeilge</i>.</li></ul>


Testing Accessibilty

• Bobby typically used to test website accessibility

– Checks for inaccessible markup usage

– Doesn’t check for absence of accessible markup

– Easily fooled

– But still a useful test

• Only visual inspection can decide whether page is accessible


A Modest Proposal

• Do it right first time!

• Don’t create inaccessible content and then fix it at the editing stage

• Make authors responsible for marking up content properly

• It’s cheaper to do it right than to fix it


Design Accessibility In

• Design a website maintenance process which creates and retains accessible HTML by default, without rework

• Authors are the most important resource, so design the process around them

• Streamline content creation, not publishing


Applying Markup

• Marking up content can be done in Word, not just in a structured HTML editor

• Instead of HTML tags, use Word styles

• Convert styles to equivalent HTML tags


Styles-Tag Mapping

• For HTML, there is a good mapping between Word styles and tags, e.g.

• Heading 1, 2, 3…

– <h1>, <h2>, <h3>

• List Bullet, List Number

– <ul><li>…, <ol><li>

• Word tables map to HTML table tags

– (but extra styles needed for better accessibility)


Benefits

• Reduce cost

– No software licences, installation, etc.

• Speed up publishing

– Enable staff to publish directly

• Improve quality

– Better accessibility, consistency, timeliness


Basic Architecture


Process Description

1. Create/edit content in Word, using styles

2. Convert to XML

3. Convert XML to accessible HTML, adding appropriate HTML template wrapper

4. Publish to website


Architecture Components

• Authoring interface

• Word to XML converter

• XSLT code for HTML generation

• XHTML templates for graphic design

• Other optional extras


Authoring Interface

• Word template designed for authors to insert markup

– Toolbar

– Menu

– Shortcuts

– Styles and macros

– Dialog box for metadata

• Training/guidelines required to use template


Metadata Dialog Box

• Use Dublin Core Metadata Element Set

• Authors enter metadata directly

• Can pre-configure default values

• May be able to generate some values automatically

– E.g. Date modified = date of conversion


XHTML Template

• Provides common branding and navigational aids for all web pages

• Critical: Design to be as accessible as possible

– Use XHTML 1.0 Strict DTD

• Contains placeholders for content from Word document


XHTML Template Placeholders

• Document content

• Metadata fields

– inside <head> tag

• Content of <title> tag

– Used in browser history, bookmarks

• May include other placeholders for e.g.

– Breadcrumb trail, last modified date, other dynamic info


Word to XML Conversion

• Any Word to XML converter can be used

• Many converters available (> 20)

• Basic requirements

– Low-cost (<$500)

– Configurable

– Fully automatic

• But don’t use Word 2003, as WordML is too difficult to process


Converter Requirements

• Essential

– Conversion from Word to XML

– Automated conversion from XML to HTML using XSLT

– Metadata (custom document property) support

• Desirable

– Authoring support via menus, shortcuts, etc.

– Publishing support via FTP, WebDAV


Converter Selection Issues

• Platform and version requirements

– E.g Word 98 (Mac), Word 95/97 support

– Some conversion tools require WinWord 2000 or higher

• Level of integration

– E.g Word plug-in or stand-alone application

– Stand-alone applications may still require Word for Word-to-RTF conversion


Converter Selection Issues (2)

• Service delivery location

– Local conversion on each PC

– Centralised internal conversion server

– 3rd-party ASP service

• Customisation cost

– Effort to configure Word to XML, and XML to HTML customisation costs depend on quality of XML output


Suggested Converters

• Integrated with Word

– XMLW YAWC Pro

– Schultz eXportXML

– Schema MarkupKit

• Stand-alone

– UpCast RTF to XML converter

– LogicTran RTF to XML converter

– Docsoft W2XML


Word Conversion Services

• Server model has many benefits

– No local installation, configuration and support

– Low support costs

– Lower setup costs

• Not the same as a Web CMS


WCMS Features

• May be internal or hosted

• Web-based form interface for editing

– Poor support for copy & paste from Word

– Requires online access for editing/review

– Limited accessibility support

• Integrated file management

• May include: link management, version control, workflow


Word to HTML Service Features

• Offline editing/review

• Good/excellent accessibility support

• No file management

• No version control

• No built-in workflow


Word to XML/HTML Conversion Services

• YAWC Online Word to HTML converter

• Xcon Word to XHTML converter

• Metaverse Word to XML converter


Xcon

• Provided by 3months.com, New Zealand

• Designed for NZ government sites

• Automatically splits long reports into multiple HTML pages, applies common HTML template

• Fixed output appearance, NZ-specific metadata added via web form on conversion

• ~NZD20 per conversion


Metaverse

• Word to XML conversion

• Can configure XML to HTML conversion via XSLT

• No publishing support

• Volume-based charging


YAWC Online

• http://www.yawconline.com/

• Configurable for any website

– Multiple configurable HTML templates

• Built-in publication service based on DC.Identifier and FTP

• Fixed monthly fee based on website size


Publishing Options

• FTP direct to public site

– OK when author = approver

• Submit for review/approval

– Via email or staging server

• Insert into Web CMS

– In XML or HTML format


Case Study: Dublin City Council

• Disability services unit required AAA-compliant subsite

• Initial large HTML file imported into Word, split into smaller files

• HTML template re-designed for maximum accessibility

• Styled in Word, including marking up Irish language text

• Converted to HTML using YAWC Online


Summary

• Accessible websites are becoming a legal requirement, not just a nice idea

• Most existing web CMS solutions cannot help maintain accessibility cost-effectively and easily

• Using Word effectively can save time and money, and improve website accessibility

Maintaining Accessible Websites with Microsoft

Word and XMLXML Europe 2003, London

Q&A

maintaining accessible websites with microsoft word and xml eoin campbell, technical director, xml...

Documents

xml workshop

accessible slide

accessible content slide

word content

word styles

equivalent html tags

timeliness slide

better accessibility