[Bug 8404] Refocus the figure element back to being a figure

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=8404





--- Comment #46 from Leif Halvard Silli <xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no>  2009-12-01 11:56:25 ---
(In reply to comment #37)
> (In reply to comment #33)
> 
> Interesting, Lief. There's a lot of truth to what you're saying: we're really
> looking at being able to encapsulate a caption with an element. 
> 
> I think there's also an aspect of removal from the page, though, too. 
> 
> But it sounds like you're pretty much agreeing with me, except for the use of
> pre and p, you are proposing a generic caption element, like I mentioned in the
> Issue 83 change proposal.

We are not far from eachother in how we understand this. The "removal from the
page" is, I think, equal to "identifying something as a unity within a larger
unity".

I agree with you that the word <figure> probably is connected to illustrations
of sorts, in many minds.  But I still think that html tables etc can be
presented as a figure - using <object> as wrapper. But even for photos/images,
if the photo has some accompanying text, and you want to caption the _unity_ of
the photo and that text, then it can be wrapped inside <object>. 

Talking about people's expectations:  Even for images/photos, then <figure>
might become misunderstood = not used. For instance, back in 2007, then Maciej
(amongst others) many times mentioned Flickr as a usecase for <figure>.  But,
talking about my own expecations, then it feels strange to label e.g. a private
photo of my parents as a figure just because I want to add a image caption to
it.

I indeed think that the main purpose of <figure> is to act as way to add a
caption to some unity. Therefore, the name <figure> might be unfortunate.
Perhaps we could take the table <caption> as a pattern: It currently permits
any kind of mark-up inside (in HTML 4, block elements were forbidden). If we
redefine <figure> as as <cap> element (caption element), but permit that the
caption may be kept inside a block element - or be written directly in the
<cap> element ...

... then the simplest way to add a text to an IMG would become this:

<cap>My parents outside their home.
           <img src="photo" alt="mom to the left, dad to the right in fron of
their house" >
</cap>

Or, if I want to place the caption in a block element:

<cap><p>My parents outside their home.</p>
           <img src="photo" alt="mom to the left, dad to the right in fron of
their house" >
</cap>

I think that this <cap> element should be transparent w.r.t. whether it is
block or inline. If the element used for the caption is a block element, then
the <cap> is also a block element. But if the caption text is kept inside a
inline element - or if it is written directly inside the <cap> elemetn, then
the <cap> is inline and can be placed e.g. inside a <p>, like this:

<p>This summer I visited my parents. 
        <cap style="float:left">My parents outside their home.
           <img src="photo" alt="mom to the left, dad to the right in fron of
their house" >
      </cap>
</p>

See example: http://software.hixie.ch/utilities/js/live-dom-viewer/saved/323


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Received on Tuesday, 1 December 2009 11:56:27 UTC