HTML Guide for summary

The <summary> HTML element specifies a clickable summary, caption, or legend for a <details> element’s disclosure box. As the <summary> element has an implicit button role, it’s not needed to include it explicitly.

Here’s an example, clicking the <summary> element toggles the state of the parent <details> element open and closed.

<details>
    <summary>I have keys but no doors. I have space but no room. You can enter but can’t leave. What am I?</summary>
    A keyboard.
</details>

To resolve the W3C Validator issue regarding the obsolete summary attribute on the table element, you should remove the summary attribute and instead provide a description of the table structure using a caption element.

Here’s how you can fix it:

• Remove the summary attribute: This attribute is no longer supported in modern HTML standards.
• Add a caption element: This element gives a brief description of the table, making it accessible and informing users what the table represents.

Example Before and After

Before Fixing (with obsolete summary attribute)

<table summary="This table shows the sales data for the year.">
    <tr>
        <th>Month</th>
        <th>Sales</th>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>January</td>
        <td>$1000</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>February</td>
        <td>$1200</td>
    </tr>
</table>

After Fixing (with caption element)

<table>
    <caption>Sales Data for the Year</caption>
    <tr>
        <th>Month</th>
        <th>Sales</th>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>January</td>
        <td>$1000</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>February</td>
        <td>$1200</td>
    </tr>
</table>

Additional Option: Using a figure Element

If you want to provide a more extensive description alongside your table, you can wrap the table in a figure element.

Example with figure

<figure>
    <figcaption>Sales Data for the Year</figcaption>
    <table>
        <tr>
            <th>Month</th>
            <th>Sales</th>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td>January</td>
            <td>$1000</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td>February</td>
            <td>$1200</td>
        </tr>
    </table>
</figure>