Are tables coded as <table> elements?

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

  1. Inspect the page.
  2. 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.