Re: function and impacts (was: @scope and @headers reform)

Gez Lemon wrote:

> James Craig wrote:
>> define the implicit scope for headers…
>
> Yes, this is a good idea. HTML 5's proposed smart scope algorithm
> pretty much does this, except it overlooks dir="rtl".

Smart scope/headers seems like a good approach. I trust the direction  
concerns will be addressed if you continue to raise it for the HTML WG  
agenda.

> If HTML5 allows
> aria-labelledby on table cells, I would be in favour of dropping the
> headers attribute completely, as it can't be used practically, and use
> aria-labelledby for complex associations instead.

Part of the intention of ARIA is to be replaced by host-language  
functionality once the @aria-* attributes are no longer necessary. For  
example, @aria-required is theoretically unnecessary in HTML 5 because  
of the identical functionality of @required. The only thing this  
doesn't account for is property binding between aria attributes and  
their native host language equivalents; an issue I have raised in the  
PF WG. (e.g. What happens if the script is observing @aria-required  
when @required changes?)

@headers may end up being the native host language equivalent for  
@aria-labelledby in some cases, but it would be better to have a more  
general global equivalent attribute that allows a list of IDREFs to  
label an arbitrary element.

James