Titleattribuutti

Titleattribuutti, known in English as the title attribute, is a global HTML attribute that can be applied to most elements to provide advisory information about that element. It is written as title="..." and is used to offer a short description or hint that supplements visible content. When present, most browsers display the text as a tooltip when the user hovers the mouse over the element.

Common use cases include giving extra context for links, images, or form controls, or providing a brief caption for an element that may not convey full meaning from its visible content alone. The tooltip content should be concise and should not replace meaningful visible text.

Accessibility and usability considerations are important. Screen readers may read the title attribute inconsistently, and tooltips are not guaranteed to be announced or accessible on all devices, especially touch devices without hover support. Therefore, the title attribute should not be relied upon for essential information. For important descriptions, visible text or accessible attributes such as aria-label or aria-describedby should be used, and the presence of a title attribute should not override proper semantic labeling.

Compatibility and limitations include broad browser support, but behavior of tooltips can vary by browser and device. On mobile devices, hover-based tooltips are generally unavailable, reducing their usefulness. Tooltips can also be blocked or ignored by assistive technologies if they duplicate existing accessible names.

Relation to other attributes: the title attribute is separate from the alt attribute for images and from explicit accessibility descriptions. It serves as an optional, supplementary enhancement rather than a substitute for good content semantics. In summary, the title attribute offers lightweight supplementary information but should be used judiciously and with consideration for accessibility.