To quickly address your points:

1. Javascript does not necessarily affect your compliance rating. It depends on the exact way it's implemented.  Wed have to examine the particular code to tell with certainty.

2. Javascript-based web traffic tools are often not effective or not working if javascript is disabled., which may mean that your metrics will not reflect the truth. 

Generally speaking there is no standard and agreed way of measuring things.  The various metrics software, either provided as a service or analysis tools for the web logs, each one have their own definitions of what is a visit or a unique visitor, etc.

Based on what you mentioned, in my view you either need a metrics tool which provided both javascript and non-javascript metrics in one piece of code,  or a combination of online/javascript based tools and web log analysis tools.

I hope this helps.

regards,

Denis
www.naxtech.com

hi, Latchmere,

Have a look at this:

http://accessit.nda.ie/web-resources/guidance/guidance-v-wai-wcag-1-0-nda-guidelines

Here are the javascript guidelines:

• Do not rely on JavaScript alone for important content or functionality
• JavaScript enabled content that requires use of the mouse must be accessible without the mouse
• Do not rely solely on client side scripts for form validation, etc.
• Avoid use of JavaScript links
• Avoid automatic submission in forms elements

The javascript used for analytics doesn't add any functionality, doesn't rely on the mouse, doesn't validate forms, doesn't alter link behaviour, doesn't submit forms.

Therefore you should be totally fine to use it.

daniel

Hi Latchmere. Have you considered Nedstat for your analytics? We track more than log files, we can report on javascript, IP and cookies all at once. We're also ABC Electronics certified which means our data is audited regularly and fully compliant.

If you'd like more information or have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

Hope this helps

Julie

On 11:27:35 7 November 2008 Latchmere wrote:

Advice please! Our website is Double-A compliant. I've been told that the reason we can't use browser-based tracking is that the javascript involved in this would affect our compliance rating. Does anyone know if this is actually the case? I keep reading reports whereby site owners say X% have javascript disabled  - you can only know that if you measure it, right? So therefore the tags on those sites aren't interferring with those users whose browser settings are different? Does that mean all metrics tools are closed to me other than log file analysis? Are there are metrics packages out there that 'don't interfere with' accessibility compliance? Any information greatly appreciated...

The advice has all been extremely helpful, thank you. If I'm understanding it all correctly then having the metrics tool code on my pages won't cause my CMS AA compliance checker to read the page as a failure. Basically,  because the tags on the page are an interaction between the browser and the tool's server, not an interaction between my user and the browser (such as an 'onclick' instruction or something). I can live with not getting data on a tiny proportion of my audience with javascript disabled, that wouldn't be my deal breaker, I just didn't want to lose our AA rating (which would!).

Thanks again for the help, I'll be following up on services research with some of you when it comes time to buy and implement a web metrics solution :-)

Hi Latchmere.  Drop me an email when you've decided on your tagging solution and we will be pleased to confirm your accessibility rating for you.

Regards

Nick

www.thevirtualzone.co.uk