Table Header Scope Attribute

In a table, the scope attribute indicates the direction and range of data cells covered by <th> elements. This module provides functionality to automatically set the scope attribute for these table header cells.

Features

The Table Header Scope Attribute module provides text format filters that process <table> elements to improve accessibility:

1. Set scope attribute for table headers: Automatically sets the correct scope attribute on <th> elements based on their position in the table.
2. Transform empty table header to table data: Converts empty <th> elements into <td> elements, as empty headers provide no semantic value.

For example, the following table:

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th></th>
      <th>Column header 1</th>
      <th>Column header 2</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <th>Row header 1</th>
      <td>Value A</td>
      <td>Value B</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <th>Row header 2</th>
      <td>Value C</td>
      <td>Value D</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Will be transformed into:

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <td></td>
      <th scope="col">Column header 1</th>
      <th scope="col">Column header 2</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <th scope="row">Row header 1</th>
      <td>Value A</td>
      <td>Value B</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <th scope="row">Row header 2</th>
      <td>Value C</td>
      <td>Value D</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Post-Installation

After installing this module, you can enable its functionality:

1. Go to Administration » Configuration » Content authoring » Text formats and editors
2. Edit a text format, for example, "Basic HTML"
3. Enable both filters:
   • "Set scope attribute for table headers"
   • "Transform empty table header to table data"
4. Ensure the filters are ordered correctly:
   • Set scope attribute for table headers" must come before "Transform empty table header to table data"
   • Both filters should be below the "Limit allowed HTML tags and correct faulty HTML" filter

Assuming the filters are enabled for a text format that can be used on, e.g., a basic page (node). Create or edit a basic page, then add a table. Indicate the <th> elements in the <table> and save the node. When viewing the (source of the) basic page, the scope attributes are correctly set to the <th> tags.