Re: HTML forms, XForms, Web Forms - which and how much?

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:33:08 +0200, Dave Raggett <dsr@w3.org> wrote:

> On Mon, 30 Apr 2007, Simon Pieters wrote:
>
>>> WF2/XFT hybrid:
>>> | <label>First name: <input name="firstname"></label>
>>> | <label>Surname: <input name="surname"></label>
>>> |
>>> | <output calculate="'Hello, ' + firstname + ' ' + surname" />
>>
>> These are, I think, a lot harder to understand for someone who only  
>> knows about HTML4+JS.
>
> I think you are exagerating a bit. The idea of using an expression for a  
> calculated value is simple enough, as the success of spreadsheets shows.
>
>> Even I, who have read the XFT document, can't tell how calculate=""  
>> really works or what can be put inside. How should we expect authors  
>> who won't read the spec to understand it?
>
> I suggest you look at the documentation and examples again. There is a  
> grammar and it is really very simple.

It may be very simple, and I might not be the smartest guy around, but I  
already know how HTML4 event handler attributes work (they have been  
around for a long time). I think it's safe to assume that there are more  
authors who know how event handler attributes in HTML4 work than there are  
authors who know how the very simple XFT grammar works.

> The whole point is to make it easier to support authoring tools for  
> people who don't know HTML, JavaScript or the DOM, although a smattering  
> of such knowledge wouldn't harm.
>
> It is easy to fall into the trap that because I as an individual know  
> something, then everyone else also knows it. I suspect that most people  
> on this list have an in-depth knowledge of HTML, CSS and
> scripting, and as such aren't really representative of the rest of the  
> population who want to build simple applications and find learning HTML,  
> CSS, DOM, JavaScript etc. too much to contend with.

Sure, I didn't say anything about people who don't know about HTML4 or JS.  
What I said apply to authors who do know about HTML4 event handler  
attributes and some JS.

-- 
Simon Pieters

Received on Monday, 30 April 2007 15:25:44 UTC