[Bug 9798] New: The type attribute on <ol> and <ul> is semantic and should be permitted

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=9798

           Summary: The type attribute on <ol> and <ul> is semantic and
                    should be permitted
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: All
               URL: http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/grouping-content.html
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P3
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html@w3.org


* @type on <ul>,<ol>,<li> corresponds to the CSS list-style-type property.
* HTML5 obsoletes @type on <ol>,<ul>,<li> and instead recommend CSS.  

The deciion to obsolete @type must have been based on the view that @type is a
stylistic attribute. 

However, it is not logical to view @type as purely stylistic. Consider how, in
law texts, one refers to exact places in the text by referring to specific
numbers and letters. When using CSS instead of ul@type or ol@type, such
enumerated references would not be meaningful in user agents without support
for CSS.

A consequence of viewing @type as a stylistic attribute must be that even the
default decimal enumaration  of <ol> elements, as well as the default styling
of <ul> elements, is *also* purely stylistic - authors shouldn't rely on them,
but instead type the number manually, if the number is significant to the
interpreation of the list.

There might, however, not be a valid use case for the type attribute on the
<li> element. Thus, I do not consider it as a bug that @type is obsoleted on
<li>.

SOLUTION:  @type on <ol>, <ul> is semantic and should be permitted. A separate
bug on the permitted syntax will be filed (the HTML4 syntax should be
permitted, but CSS syntax should also be permitted)

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Received on Saturday, 22 May 2010 15:33:20 UTC