alt Attribute

Where to use the alt Attribute

• As Type Text - #REQUIRED:
  alt is declared on the elements: img, area
• As Type Text:
  alt is declared on the element: input type="image"

Description

The alt attribute is used to specify alternative text which will be used in place of a particular image if images are not supported or not enabled within a user agent. Obviously, alt text should be written such that the page makes sense after the replacement has taken place.

An empty string should be used for the alt text of any image which is used purely for aesthetic purposes since there is no need for someone not loading images to know it is there (although such images might be better included in a page using CSS).

See also the longdesc attribute (for img elements).