Question to XForms authors and implementors: Multiple help, hint, alert elements per form control?

In XForms 1.1 [1] the inline content model and linked schemas allow a plurality of help, hint, and alert elements per form control.
For example, at the end of section [2]:

  Content Set Minimal Content Model
  UI Common  (help|hint|alert|Action)* 

The Recommendation text gives no indication what more than one would do.

I raised this issue today [3] in the Forms WG teleconference.

In the past, there was group discussion about the advisability of using multiple label elements distinguished by xml:lang attributes, and we decided to support only one label element.  One argument was that I18N best practice calls for external references. 

As far as I can tell, we had no discussion about multiple help, hint, or alert elements, and I believe their allowance is a result of insufficient precision in the inline content model.

We have proposed that a future erratum for XForms 1.1 note in the prose that multiple such elements per form control is at best not interoperable, and further that the schema definitions for which it can be conveniently disallowed be changed to do so.

Are any implementors assigning special meaning to multiple help, hint, and alert elements?

Leigh.

[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/REC-xforms-20091020/

[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2009/REC-xforms-20091020/#N74868

[3] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-forms/2009Dec/att-0021/2009-12-09-v2.html#topic5

Received on Wednesday, 9 December 2009 21:44:33 UTC