[csswg-drafts] [css-anchor-position] Reconsidering names of span-* values (#12683)

sarony has just created a new issue for https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts:

== [css-anchor-position] Reconsidering names of span-* values ==
There’s been [past discussion](https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/9862) on what the best name should be for what is now the `span-*` values (`span-right` , `span-left` , etc.) and I’d like to make a case for changing the value to something more intuitive.

When I first learned anchor positioning this past spring, I was working on a demo where I wanted to place the target element under my anchor element and have it overflow to the right. When I realized the correct value for this was `span-right`, I was surprised and confused. If I hadn’t already known what it would do, I could not have accurately guessed what this value did just by reading it. That’s because the value `span-right` is missing a key piece of information that makes it hard to intuit what it’s going to do to my element. 

It tells me that I’m spanning multiple columns, though how many is unclear. And it tells me that one of those columns is the right column. But what it doesn’t tell me is where the span starts, and that information is essential to understanding what’s going on.

I’d like to propose we add that key piece of information and make the value `center-span-right`. There is little ambiguity with this value. It tells you exactly what it’s going to do: it starts at the `center` and `spans` to the `right`.

The only concern with this proposed value is that it is a bit wordy. But I believe authors will appreciate a slightly verbose value that is clear and intuitive than one that is shorter but more confusing.

Please view or discuss this issue at https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/issues/12683 using your GitHub account


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Received on Friday, 29 August 2025 18:34:12 UTC