Re: A possible presentational hints proposal for CSS 2.1

Ian Hickson wrote:
 >
 >  Elements and non-presentational attributes should be handled in the
 >  user agent stylesheet.

user.css -

    * { font-style:normal;
        text-align:left;
        color: black; }

<html>
<title>Glossary</title>
<body>

<center>
<h2>Acronyms</h2>
<p>Terms created by combining initial letters from words in a phrase</p>
</center>

<dl>
<dt><i><font color="blue">HTML</font></i>
     <dd>HyperText Markup Language
<dt><i><font color="blue">CSS</font></i>
      <dd>Cascading Style Sheets
</dl>


<div align=center>
<h2>Other Abbreviations</h2>
</div>

<dl>
<dt style="font-style: italic; color: blue">i18n</dt>
     <dd>Internationalization
<dt  style="font-style: italic; color: blue">l10n</dt>
     <dd>Localization
</dl>

</html>

The formatting for both parts should be identical. However, according
to the proposed text, the following discrepencies would occur:
    - The first title section will not be centered, even though the
      second is--and both are using presentational HTML.
    - Terms in the second section will be both blue and italic.
      However, terms in the first section will be blue, but not italic,
      even though both formatting properties are set with HTML.

IMO, such strange idiosynchratic behavior should not be the result
of a deliberate design. Also, as has been pointed out before,
treating <div align=center> and <center> differently is incorrect.
(http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/present/graphics.html#edef-CENTER)

Why don't you use Stuart Ballard's "non-css presentational hints"
definition in [1] and supplement it with an unknown XML exemption
and a specific list for HTML, as has been done with the attribute-
based definition?

[1] Ballard, Stuart. "Re: CSS 2.1 WD and non-CSS presentational hints",
        www-style@w3.org (2002-08-28).
        message-id: <3D6CE6AE.6090401@netreach.com>
        http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2002Aug/0371.html


~fantasai

Received on Tuesday, 8 October 2002 17:00:48 UTC