BANJAX Web Design, Belfast, Northern Ireland

While registering for a click-use licence on the UK OPSI website I was presented with this gem, see if you can spot the mistake:

  <p>We publish a list of Licence Holders on our
    website. However, to comply with data protection
    legislation we do not show details of private
    individuals without their consent.</p>
  <label class='checkbox' for='listpublic'>Please tick
    the box if you have no objections to your name and
    address details appearing on our website:</label>
  <input class='checkbox' type='checkbox'
    name='listpublic' id='listpublic' checked='checked'
    disabled='disabled' />

The input to opt out of being listed, and thus be compliant with the UK Data Protection Act, has the disabled attribute, which disables the use of the checkbox completely. You're signed up whether you like it or not.

Let's see what the W3C HTML spec says about use of the disabled attribute:

"In contexts where user input is either undesirable or irrelevant, it is important to be able to disable a control or render it read-only..."

Genius. :)

by Stephen Stewart
18-Jun-08