[Bug 8667] New: Ability to style validation errors

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=8667

           Summary: Ability to style validation errors
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
               URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/forms.html#constraint-
                    validation
        OS/Version: Windows NT
            Status: NEW
          Keywords: a11y
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec bugs
        AssignedTo: dave.null@w3.org
        ReportedBy: gez.lemon@gmail.com
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: ian@hixie.ch, mike@w3.org, public-html@w3.org, public-
                    html-a11y@w3.org


>From the UAWG: Under form validation there is no stipulation that validation
errors should be stylable by the page author using CSS and are currently only
available as per how the UA styles them unless the page author knows
JavaScript. This I see as an issue if browsers simply implement an arbitrary
styling that some users find hard to read. As such there needs to be scope for
validation errors to be stylable (without relying on JavaScript) or browser
implementations to be as readable / accessible as possible (the latter being
pretty subjective).

My other fear is that if forms validation can not be styled without JavaScript
page authors may skip using HTML5 webform validation as it messes up their
design. We then get to a situation where we have developers refusing to adopt
webforms in HTML5 in favour of their own styled forms which potentially could
be inaccessble. Users in turn miss out.

Anecdotally I know of a web designer who works predominantly with users with
cognitive problems and wont use webforms if they can't easily be styled without
JavaScript.

Proposal: require that all error validation be stylable by the page author
without relying on JavaScript. Not sure if this is in scope of HTML5 or is
under UAAG. I'm told this is not so easy for a UA to do and that if we want to
make the default error messages styleable, we would need to approach the CSSWG
with the problem and have them find a solution to make them styleable. 
Apparently it could possibly work if they provided some sort of pseudo-element.


-- 
Configure bugmail: http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are on the CC list for the bug.

Received on Thursday, 7 January 2010 10:29:24 UTC