[Bug 17123] New: Percentage values of height are not well-defined

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=17123

           Summary: Percentage values of height are not well-defined
           Product: CSS
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: CSS Level 2
        AssignedTo: bert@w3.org
        ReportedBy: antonsforums@yahoo.co.uk
         QAContact: public-css-bugzilla@w3.org


Reported by Øyvind Stenhaug

10.5 (Content height: the 'height' property)
[http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/visudet.html#propdef-height] says:

  # <percentage>
  #   [...] If the height of the containing block is not
  #   specified explicitly (i.e., it depends on content height),
  #   and this element is not absolutely positioned, the value
  #   computes to 'auto'.

Firstly, the term "specified explicitly" seems nonsensical: on the one hand,
/all/ elements have a specified value, and on the other hand, the containing
block isn't an element. So the parentheses actually contain the crucial part
here, and readers must figure out for themselves how exactly to determine
whether the containing block depends on content height.

Secondly, to what does "the height" refer?
- The so-called tentative used height?
- The used value?
- Something else?

Relevant examples:

a) display: table-cell; height: 0;

Computed value of 'height' is not 'auto', but used value of 'height' still
depends on the content...

b) position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; height: auto;

Computed value of 'height' is 'auto', but used value of 'height' does not
depend on the content.


Conversation begins:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2012Jan/1176.html

Bug description:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2012Jan/1228.html
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2012Jan/1284.html

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Received on Sunday, 20 May 2012 16:10:33 UTC