Goal
Ensure that tables are, y’know, tables.
Why this matters
Because if you don’t code them as tables, assistive technology (AT) can’t identify them as tables, and they don’t work correctly. See Why does it matter if our HTML is semantic?
How to implement
Review <table>: The Table Element for the proper implementation of tables and their child elements.
How to test
Manual testing
- Inspect the page.
- Ensure the table elements are within a
<table>tag.
Automated testing
Automated testing can detect whether the <table> element validates. It can not determine whether you should have wrapped a pile of markup in a <table> element.