Re: Block level elements

JRG response to CMN:
6.2.3 (9 March 1999 WD) already states a feature for navigating the
document tree, so it is already there.  

We need 6.2.2 since many users do not know what a document tree is and it
provides a simple function for reading the entire content of the document.
While it may be considered inefficient, it is also an easy on ramp to the
WWW for new or less skilled users.   

No one checkpoint will solve all of a users needs.  We need both types of
checkpoints.

Jon


At 03:18 PM 3/11/99 -0500, Charles McCathieNevile wrote:
>I would prefer to rewrite 6.2.2, currently allow the user to view a
>document outline so that is allowed navigation of the semantic document
>tree structure - ie headers, paragraphs, lists, etc.
>
>I have assumed that this is primarily a concern for HTML and that
>well-written XML schemata will not have the same split between the
>semantic and the syntactic structures. Which could well be wrong.
>
>Charles McCN
>
>On Wed, 10 Mar 1999, Jon Gunderson wrote:
>
>  Thank you for your contribution to this section.
>  
>  I disagree though about removing the checkpoint.  I think we need a way for
>  users to navigate sequentially through each block of the document.
>  Especially naive users need a means to easily move through all the content
>  of the document.   I think this is a checkpiont for AT and its priority
>  should be raised to priority 1.  This complements the sequential active
>  element checkpoint.  If both these checkpoints are implemented the user has
>  a means with two keyboard commands to access all the active elements and
>  the contents of the document.    
>  
>  Jon
>  
>  
>  
>  At 06:27 PM 3/9/99 -0500, Charles McCathieNevile wrote:
>  >I took an action to exmine the definition of Block-level elements in HTML
>  >4, and discovered that they are defined at
>  >http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/struct/global.html#h-7.5.3 as
>  >
>  > 7.5.3 Block-level and inline elements
>  >   
>  >   Certain HTML elements that may appear in BODY are said to be
"block-level"
>  >   while others are "inline" (also known as "text level"). The
distinction is
>  >   founded on several notions:
>  >   
>  >   Content model
>  >          Generally, block-level elements may contain inline elements and
>  >          other block-level elements. Generally, inline elements may
contain
>  >          only data and other inline elements. Inherent in this structural
>  >          distinction is the idea that block elements create "larger"
>  >          structures than inline elements.
>  >        
>  >   Formatting
>  >          By default, block-level elements are formatted differently than
>  >          inline elements. Generally, block-level elements begin on new
>  lines,
>  >          inline elements do not. For information about white space, line
>  >          breaks, and block formatting, please consult the section on
text.
>  >       
>  >   Directionality
>  >          For technical reasons involving the [UNICODE] bidirectional text
>  >          algorithm, block-level and inline elements differ in how they
>  >          inherit directionality information. For details, see the
section on
>  >          inheritance of text direction.
>  >              
>  >   Style sheets provide the means to specify the rendering of arbitrary
>  >   elements, including whether an element is rendered as block or
inline. In
>  >   some cases, such as an inline style for list elements, this may be
>  >   appropriate, but generally speaking, authors are discouraged from
>  >   overriding the conventional interpretation of HTML elements in this
way.
>  >         
>  >   The alteration of the traditional presentation idioms for block
level and
>  >   inline elements also has an impact on the bidirectional text algorithm.
>  See
>  >   the section on the effect of style sheets on bidirectionality for more
>  >   information.
>  >  
>  >In an appendix to the CSS2 entitled a sample style sheet for HTML 4 to
>  >following elements are given as block-level:
>  >
>  >ADDRESS, BLOCKQUOTE, BODY, DD, DIV, DL, DT, FIELDSET,
>  >FORM, FRAME, FRAMESET, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, IFRAME,
>  >NOSCRIPT, NOFRAMES, OBJECT, OL, P, UL, APPLET, CENTER,
>  >DIR, HR, MENU, PRE, LI, TABLE, TR, THEAD, TBODY, TFOOT,
>  >COL, COLGROUP, TD, TH, CAPTION
>  >
>  >from http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/sample.html
>  >
>  >The context was the checkpoint "allow the user to navigate among block
>  >elements" (6.2.5 in the 9 march 1999 draft).
>  >
>  >My suggestion would be to remove this checkpoint since the required
>  >functions are already covered by other checkpoints in the same section.
>  >
>  >Charles McCN
>  >
>  >--Charles McCathieNevile            mailto:charles@w3.org
>  >phone: +1 617 258 0992   http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
>  >W3C Web Accessibility Initiative    http://www.w3.org/WAI
>  >MIT/LCS  -  545 Technology sq., Cambridge MA, 02139,  USA
>  > 
>  Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
>  Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
>  Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
>  University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
>  1207 S. Oak Street
>  Champaign, IL 61820
>  
>  Voice: 217-244-5870
>  Fax: 217-333-0248
>  E-mail: jongund@uiuc.edu
>  WWW:	http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund
>  	http://www.als.uiuc.edu/InfoTechAccess
>  
>
>--Charles McCathieNevile            mailto:charles@w3.org
>phone: +1 617 258 0992   http://www.w3.org/People/Charles
>W3C Web Accessibility Initiative    http://www.w3.org/WAI
>MIT/LCS  -  545 Technology sq., Cambridge MA, 02139,  USA
> 
Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
1207 S. Oak Street
Champaign, IL 61820

Voice: 217-244-5870
Fax: 217-333-0248
E-mail: jongund@uiuc.edu
WWW:	http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund
	http://www.als.uiuc.edu/InfoTechAccess

Received on Thursday, 11 March 1999 16:17:55 UTC