Would it be possible to add an option to specify alt text when inserting images using the IMG bbcode? I am primarily interested in having this option in dispatches (which I think is the only gameside place where IMG works), but it would also be helpful on the forum.
The reason for this is that, very often images are used as structural elements, e.g., to separate or highlight sections of a dispatch. It is not rare for section titles themselves are inserted in dispatches using images, to achieve specific aesthetic effects. Unfortunately, these images are not parsed by screen readers, making their content inaccessible for users that rely on screen readers to access the site. Users that, for one reason or another (e.g., low bandwidth, or privacy concerns, or even simply focusing issues), disable image downloads will also run into the same problem.
Alt text is commonly used in web design to alleviate these issues. Unfortunately, NS does not provide a way to specify alt text. Providing this option could be done by allowing users to provide an optional argument to the IMG BBcode, e.g.,
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[IMG=alt: ALT TEXT]IMG_URL[/IMG]
Making the argument optional is to avoid breaking backwards compatibility, given the thousands of IMG uses in existing dispatches.
Thank you in advance!
