Re: [selectors4] List [xml:lang] and [xmlns] as selectors that do not work in XML

Tab Atkins Jr., Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:34:19 -0700:
> On Wed, Sep 25, 2013 at 10:16 AM, Leif Halvard Silli wrote:

> This has nothing to do with xml:lang - all namespaced
> attributes work like this.

Indeed. However xml:lang is common. That’s why I took it up.

>>>> Proposal: Please add a note/info that mentions @xml:foo and @xmlns as
>>>> examples of common attributes that cannot, when occurring in a XML
>>>> document, be styled with a simple [att]{} selector. It helps authors to
>>>> understand the concept if they see an actual, non-theoretical, example.
>>>> 
>>>> [1] http://dev.w3.org/csswg/selectors4/#attrnmsp

>>> 
>>> I find this @xmlns parsing oddity more confusing than helpful in
>>> understanding namespaces.
>> 
>> Well, if it is confusing, then that *too* is a reason to offer
>> explanation in the spec.
> 
> Well, not necessarily.  Bizarre quirks of individual languages that
> authors are highly unlikely to run into don't necessarily need to be
> explained in the CSS spec.  They should be if they're something
> authors are likely to run into, but styling based on an xmlns
> attribute seems rare. ^_^

Despite your description of this feature as a "bizarre quirk", the 
Selectors 4 spec *defines* how to operate with namespaces for [foo] 
selectors.[1] You don't make that section *less* relevant by showing 
how to apply that section to @xmlns and xml:@lang - the most commonly 
seen namespaced attributes in HTML and XHTML today.

Besides, in (X)HTML5, the common thing is default namespaces. And the 
shape of @xmlns is no different from the shape of @class - for 
instance, Thus, it is quite likely, IMHO, that authors could run into 
 *[xmlns]{/*rule*/}
and start to wonder why that works in HTML but not in XML. I don't want 
you to explain how to do e.g. 
    *[xmlns:xmlns]
it should be enough to show
    *[*|xmlns]

But it is of course up to you, the editors, if you want to add it. :-)

[1] http://dev.w3.org/csswg/selectors4/#attrnmsp

-- 
leif halvard silli

Received on Wednesday, 25 September 2013 18:09:33 UTC