# `AltText`

What an image shows, for someone who can't see it (WCAG 2.2's text alternative): one line of 1 to 1,000 characters. An image with nothing to say has `none`.

[Media and visual](types.md#media-and-visual); not ordered; since Jadpo 0.1.0.

## Make one

Build one from its text, `AltText("A red bicycle leaning against a brick wall")`, which checks it: text that isn't one breaks `format`.

`text.parse(raw, as: AltText)` reads one from its text; text that isn't one at all fails `malformed`, such as `""`, ` Logo` or `Logo `.

## Text, JSON and storage

`text.from` writes its canonical text, the one form `text.parse` reads back. JSON sends its canonical text as a string.

| Text | JSON |
|---|---|
| `A red bicycle leaning against a brick wall` | `"A red bicycle leaning against a brick wall"` |
| `Logo` | `"Logo"` |

It is stored in one column named for the field, of type `text`. `Logo` is stored as `'Logo'`.

## Shown to people

`text.format(value, locale:)` shows it to people in their locale.

With `locale: Locale.en_gb`:

| Value | Shown |
|---|---|
| `A red bicycle leaning against a brick wall` | `A red bicycle leaning against a brick wall` |
| `Logo` | `Logo` |

## Operations

It has the contract's own operations: `text.parse`, `text.from`, `text.format`, `json.read`, `json.write` and `==`. It isn't ordered, so `<` and sorting don't take it. [Every standard type meets one contract](../topics/every-standard-type-meets-one-contract.md) says how they work.