Re: XHTML Basic 1.1 and setting input field to numeric mode

Hi Luca,

> @2008-06-23 19:09 +0200:
> Michael(tm) Smith wrote:
>>
>> XHTML Basic 1.1 defines an "inputmode" attribute:
>> http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-basic/#s_inputmode
> Thanks Michael. I was sure I had come across something like "input  
> mode", but I wasn't sure.
>
> The input tag spec seems very far from what is implemented by mobile  
> devices today.

Indeed. The inputmode attribute is not currently supported in any
production/deployed browsers, as far as I know. Hopefully when
this spec gets to final Recommendation, that may make browser
vendors motivated to actually implement it. It wouldn't be real
difficult, since most of them have backend support for it already
(just activated through other markup, like the WAP format
attribute).

> Will old WAP style formats be supported (albeit deprecated)?

They won't be by XHTML Basic spec (just speaking as far as I know
-- I'm not a member of the working group that's maintaining it).
But as I'm sure you know, that does not prevent browser vendors
from supporting them. If a mobile operator comes to a browser
vendor with a spec that says any browser deployed in their network
for the browsing service must support WAP style formats in order,
or a device maker comes to a browser vendor with a spec that says
any browser shipped on a particular device must support them, I
guess you can bet the browser vendor is going to add/retain
support for them.

> any other comments on why the "style" attribute would be deprecated?

I honestly don't remember the history on that. I was not involved
directly in work on the XHTML Basic spec. But I'd speculate that
it was due to the desire to separate out all presentational markup
and to require authors and content provides to a separate external
or embedded CSS stylesheet instead of inline styles.

  --Mike

-- 
Michael(tm) Smith
http://people.w3.org/mike/
http://sideshowbarker.net/