| Depr. | Version |
|---|---|
| No | HTML 4 |
| IE5.5+ | FF1+ | SA1.3+ | OP9.2+ | CH2+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
Syntax
Description
The
abbr attribute is another one that makes no visual
difference to the table and its contents but, like the
table’s summary
attribute, provides additional information that may be useful for
people accessing the content using assistive technology such as screen
readers. It’s normally put to use in the context of the th element, but it’s
valid to use abbr with td
elements as well.
Example
This table, which lists vehicle
details, shows the abbr attribute at
th and td level:
<table border="1">
<tr>
<th abbr="Make">Car manufacturer (make)</th>
<th abbr="Model">Vehicle model (name/spec)</th>
<th abbr="Revised">Date of last revision </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td abbr="VW">Volkswagen</td>
<td abbr="Golf">Golf 2.8 GTi</td>
<td abbr="2007">June 2007</td>
</tr>
</table>
Value
This element takes an abbreviated
(but still meaningful) form of the td
content.
Compatibility
| Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari | Opera | Chrome | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 2.0 |
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
This attribute’s compatibility is debatable. No browser renders it on the page, so it’s difficult to say whether or not any browsers have difficulties with it. The biggest question regarding its compatibility is really centered on assistive technology—for example, screen readers—and whether they are capable of retrieving that useful summary information.
User-contributed notes
Add a note
To post a note on this topic, please log in with your SitePoint username and password. If you don't have an account yet, you can create a new account for free.