[Bug 11427] should allow use of xml:id for XHTML5

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=11427

Ian 'Hixie' Hickson <ian@hixie.ch> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Status|NEW                         |RESOLVED
                 CC|                            |ian@hixie.ch
         Resolution|                            |WONTFIX

--- Comment #10 from Ian 'Hixie' Hickson <ian@hixie.ch> 2011-02-07 22:28:11 UTC ---
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: This is an Editor's Response to your comment. If you are
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Status: Rejected
Change Description: no spec change
Rationale: (In reply to comment #0)
> Because the XML serialization of HTML5 does not require or specify a DOCTYPE
> (and therefore, a DTD), generic XML processing tools have no way of determining
> the proper attribute to use as an ID.

There are several ways for generic XML processing tools to know that the id=""
attribute on elements in the HTML, MathML, and SVG namespaces is an ID
attribute. The tool can have hardcoded namespace knowledge. The tool can be
given a DTD. The tool can be given an XML Schema. The tool can be configured
with namespace-specific information.


> This causes problems when using e.g.
> XInclude with the "element" xpointer, which uses the ID to determine the
> subtree to include.

If the tool implements XInclude, it can also implement HTML (and MathML and
SVG), at least the minimum required for its users to use HTML (or MathML or
SVG) with XInclude.


> I use this currently to include relevant portions of XHTML
> into an Atom feed, and it is broken with XHTML5.

You can use an XPath XPointer in XInclude, instead of relying on IDness.


> Currently, the specification is silent about whether xml:id is permitted at all

That's out of scope of the HTML spec. Nothing stops you from using xml:id with
HTML. If you decide xml:id is a specification that applies to your stack, then
it is conforming in HTML for you.


> and if so, what its interaction is with id.

If there are any specific interactions that are not defined, that's an
oversight. The HTML spec, as far as I am aware, _does_ define the behaviour of
its APIs with respect to other features that introduce IDs (there are many more
than just xml:id).


> I suggest that xml:id be permitted

That's up to you. Only you can decide what specs are in scope for your
documents.


> and be preferred over id for the XML serialization

xml:id doesn't seem to do anything that the id="" attribute in HTML doesn't
already do, so recommending that people use it seems like a bad idea.


> while being forbidden in the HTML serialization. 

It's not forbidden, it's impossible.


> Whatever the decision may be, please make it clear in
> the text.

It's not clear to me that there is any relevant decision to make clear in the
spec.

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Received on Monday, 7 February 2011 22:28:14 UTC