Notes from the May Web Editing WG Monthly Call

Hi all,

The Notes from the May Editing WG Monthly Call are available at:
  
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17lgvl4E5xIxFUxqigHjDzi2x52KBB8ZkzYa_UZbBAfY/

Text version:
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May 21, 2026
Editing WG Monthly Call
Present: Johannes Wilm, Xiaoqian Wu, Olli Pettay, Dan Clark, Rakesh 
Goulikar, Sambamurthy Bandaru, Shweta Bindal, John An, Tomasz Jakut
Chair: Johannes
Notes Generated by Gemini


Summary
Working group members reviewed technical specification updates and 
aligned on multi-range selection implementation strategies.

Technical Specification Proposals
Proposed changes to Selection API using Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm 
were validated. Multi-range selection was accepted for implementation 
pending impact audits and browser interoperability reviews.

Proposal Documentation Protocols
The group agreed to migrate proposal explainers to the Web Incubation 
Community Group for broader visibility. This approach facilitates 
external reviews while maintaining core discussion integrity.

Administrative Workflow Alignment
Standardization of input event behaviors and pending patch reviews were 
prioritized to improve development consistency. The group decided to 
coordinate with external stakeholders for final approval.

Decisions ALIGNED
Selection modification mapping updated The spec will be updated to map 
left and right selection modifications based on resolved text direction 
using the Unicode bidirectional algorithm.

Multi-range selection restriction removed The single-range restriction 
will be removed from the specification to enable support for multi-range 
selection.

Explainer relocated to incubator Proposal explainers will be hosted in 
the Web Incubation Community Group to facilitate external review before 
adoption by the working group.


Next steps

[Olli Pettay] Review Selection API: Assess pull request 357 regarding 
selection modification behavior and provide feedback or identify a 
reviewer.

[Dan Clark & Rakesh Goulikar] Share Explainer: Move the editing 
explainers to the web incubation community group for public review.

[Rakesh Goulikar] Investigate Input Events: Gather information on input 
event behavior on Android and other browsers to inform spec development.

[Dan Clark] Review Edit Context: Evaluate open pull requests and spec 
ambiguities for the edit context feature.

[Rakesh Goulikar] Contact Anne: Email Anne to request a review of the 
selective format pull request 248.

[Dan Clark] Check Label Issue: Determine why the GitHub agenda+ label is 
triggering warnings and report the findings back to the group.



Details
Selection API Issue 357 (Selection Modify): Sambamurthy Bandaru 
presented proposed changes for issue 357 regarding the "selection 
modify" function. The current specification incorrectly mandates mapping 
left and right directions based on paragraph direction, which fails to 
account for mixed bidirectional text; the proposed solution involves 
using resolved text direction based on the Unicode Bidirectional 
Algorithm. Olli Pettay indicated the changes seem correct and suggested 
verifying them to ensure browser interoperability.
Multi-range Selection Support (Issue 358): Sambamurthy Bandaru 
introduced issue 358, which proposes removing the specification's 
restriction that limits selection to a single range to allow for 
multi-range selection, a feature Firefox has historically supported. 
Johannes Wilm raised concerns regarding the potential impact on existing 
JavaScript editors that assume single-range selection, but Sambamurthy 
Bandaru noted an explainer has been added to address backward 
compatibility. Dan Clark emphasized that this change would allow editors 
to utilize platform capabilities instead of relying on complex 
virtualization workarounds. The participants agreed to proceed with 
caution, with the Chromium team planning to use counters and conduct 
audits to assess the potential impact before implementation.

Multi-range Selection Interoperability and Next Steps: Regarding the 
implementation of multi-range selection, Olli Pettay highlighted that 
Firefox's implementation is stable and they aim to avoid breaking 
compatibility. The participants discussed the need for Apple and 
WebKit's involvement, though no representatives were present. 
Sambamurthy Bandaru plans to create a specification change pull request, 
and Dan Clark suggested requesting an official standards position to 
facilitate involvement from other browser teams. Olli Pettay recommended 
reviewing historical Firefox bugs related to multi-range selection to 
inform the new implementation.
Explainer Location Protocols: Xiaoqian Wu suggested sharing proposal 
explainers in the Web Incubation Community Group to allow for external 
review by other browser teams before adoption by the working group. 
Johannes Wilm expressed reservations about having different groups make 
primary decisions, but the group reached a consensus to post the 
explainer in the WICG for wider visibility while continuing in-depth 
discussions within the Editing WG. Dan Clark confirmed that they will 
move the explainer for multi-range selection to the WICG repository and 
archive the previous location.

Input Events Behavior (Issue 176): Johannes Wilm discussed issue 176 
regarding input events, noting that Firefox triggers an extra input 
event at the end of composition, which some developers are mitigating in 
their code. The participants agreed that a standardized behavior is 
necessary, as relying on GitHub discussions is insufficient for 
developers. Rakesh Goulikar committed to delegating the task of 
investigating this behavior on Android and other platforms, with an 
update expected at the next meeting.
Edit Context Patches: Olli Pettay reminded the group to review pending 
pull requests for Edit Context, noting that these patches address 
various specification issues and are intended to be finalized soon. Dan 
Clark apologized for the delay in reviewing these patches and expressed 
appreciation for the thoughtful feedback being implemented.

Clipboard - Keyboard Selection Format (PR 248): Rakesh Goulikar 
requested a status check on pull request 248 regarding keyboard 
selection format. Shweta Bindal stated that the changes are ready and 
welcomed further review from Mozilla or Safari. The team agreed to 
coordinate with Anne from Safari to ensure the changes are acceptable, 
particularly since Chromium plans to ship this feature imminently.
GitHub Label Issues: Johannes Wilm raised a concern regarding the 
"Agenda+" label on GitHub, which recently started triggering an invalid 
value warning, suggesting it might be deprecated or broken by recent 
updates. Dan Clark noted they would investigate why the label is failing 
and reach out to contacts at GitHub to determine if a replacement is 
needed or if it is a system bug.

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Thanks.

-xiaoqian

Received on Tuesday, 2 June 2026 15:51:55 UTC