[Bug 24654] Add definition of ”layout table” and make it equal to tables or role=presentation

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=24654

--- Comment #5 from Leif Halvard Silli <xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no> ---
(In reply to steve faulkner from comment #3)
> "By this understanding

I don’t suggest that <table role="grid"> *should* be included in HTML5’s
definitin of ”layout table”. ON the contrary. But neverhteless, some apparenlty
do view it that way, and I think they have a point. Therefore we need to
specify in which sence we use the term ”layout table”. May be the solution
could so so simple as to replace ”layout table” with ”page layout table”.

The term ”layout table” is strongly linked to the era when tables was *the*
method for creating *page* layout. As tables fall out of fashion for page
layout, and other (mis)uses of html tables develops, it becomes less and less
evident that ”layout table” refers to ”page layout tables”.

> of the term, doing e.g. <table role="grid"> would
> mean that the table should be seen as a ”layout table”."
> 
> how so?

Does it help to point out that there is
 1) a spec called ”CSS Grid Layout Module Level 1”, 
    which governs page layout?
 2) many CSS frameworks that takes care of page layout
    grids. (And note how the CSS grid language
    talks about rows and colums, e.g. see http://960.gs

> "A grid is an interactive control which contains cells of tabular data
> arranged in rows and columns, like a table."
> http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/roles#grid

If layout tables really should be called ”page layout tables” then the above
quote speaks about ”grid layout tables”. Both page and grid layout tables uses
html tables for something other than its original purpose. (Allthough,
admittedly, <table role=grid> might be closer to the original purpose than
<table class=pagelayout> is.)

”Layout” it not a concept that is only linked to pages -
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layout>.

The difference between <table role=presentation class=pageLayout> and  <table
role=grid> is that the latter is interactive and probably only makes up a
smaller section of the page, whereas the former keeps the entire page.

Instead of <table role=grid> one could do <div role="grid">. Instead of <table
role=prentation class=pagelayout> could could create page grids by applying the
CSS to <html>, <body> and other non-table elements.  The reason behind the
choice of table for a grid (<table role="grid">) is the same as the reason
behind the choice of table for page layout: It is practical. It is simple. HTML
tables alrady provides much of the structure one needs. What HTML tables does
not provide is the correct semantics. This the same for ”page layout tables”
and ”grid layout tables”.

-- 
You are receiving this mail because:
You are the QA Contact for the bug.

Received on Friday, 14 February 2014 22:42:11 UTC