By leif halvard silli. Last updated: 2009-02-20.

Test: When does non-visual User Agents announce table summaries and captions?

Read this earlier? Jump to test section.

This test seeks to document how the summary attribute and the caption element is treated by screen readers and other non-visual HTML user agents.

There are 3 tests. First we test how caption is treated. Then how summary is treated. And finally how the user agent treats a table with both features present.

The thing to look out for is whether the summary and/or the caption is read before the user agents starts informing about the table. You may have to run the test a few times in order to understand what I mean. For example Jaws says something like Table with 3 columns and 3 rows. (Other user agents may not say anything like that at all.)

Test results table

Here you can read the results of the tests below, as soon as I have results to publish.

Results.
User Agent	When do you hear the caption and/or summary?
Expected result	3. Caption first.	2. Gen. tab. info first or 3. Summary first	4. Caption. Gen. table info. Summary. or 5. Caption. Summary. Gen. table info
User Agent	Caption test.	Summary test.	Caption + summary test.
Jaws/Simple Layout, XP/IE7	2. Gen. tab. info first	3. Summary first	6. Summary first
Jaws/Screen Layout, XP/IE7	2. Gen. tab. info first	3. Summary first	6. Summary first
Dolphin's Hal, XP/IE7	3. Caption first	2. Gen. tab. info	5. Capt. Gen. Summary.
Windows Eyes 7.01, XP/IE7	3. Caption first	1. Not read	4. Caption. Not summary.
VoiceOver (Safari)	3. Caption.	1. Not read	4. Caption. Not summary.
Opera 9.63 w/VoiceOver	3. Caption only.	3. Summary only.	4. Caption only.
Fangs Jaws simulator	3. Caption first.	3. Summary first	5. Caption first
FireVox	2. Gen. tab. info first	3. Summary first	6. Summary first

The actual tests

As you listen to the tables in the 3 tests below, the screen reader will tell you some general info about how many columns and rows the table has. In addition, the screan reader will announce a table caption and a socalled table summary. Your task is to tell in which order you hear these 3 things. Do you hear general table info first? Or summary? Or caption first? And, somewhat less important, what do you hear second? And in the third test, what do you hear third? The actual test string in each test comes in two variants. In the first test you hear this: When do you hear this? You have now heard the caption of test table number X. In the third test you hear this: When do you hear this? You have now heard the summary of test table number X.. In the last test you hear both (and you are supposed to tell in which order.)

Test 1. Table with caption element only.

Test begins now.

When do you hear this? You have now heard the caption of test table number 1.
End of test 1. Which of the following outcomes of this test did you get?
First	Second.	Third.
Caption not read at all.	Gen. tab. info first. Then caption.	Caption first. Then gen. tab. info.

Test 2. Table with summary attribute only.

Test begins now.

End of test 2. Which of the following outcomes of this test did you get?
First.	Second.	Third.
Summary not read at all.	Gen. tab. info first. Then summary.	Summary first. Then Gen. tab. info.

Test 3. Table with both summary attribute and caption element.

Test begins now.

When do you hear this? You have now heard the caption of test table number 3.
End of test 3. Which of the following outcomes of this test did you get?
First.	Second.		Third.		Fourth.
Only Gen. tab. info read.	A. Gen. tab. info first. Then summary. Then caption.	B. Gen. tab. info first. Then caption. Then summary.	A. Caption first. Then Gen. tab. info. Then summary.	B. Caption first. Then summary. Then Gen. tab. info.	A. Summary first. Then Gen. tab. info. Then caption.	B. Summary first. Then caption. Then Gen. tab. info.