Maintaining Accessible Websites with Microsoft Word and XML Eoin Campbell, Technical Director, XML Workshop Ltd

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

Documents

Maintaining Accessible Websites with Microsoft Word and XML Eoin Campbell, Technical Director, XML Workshop Ltd