ISSUE-128 (figure-in-p): Authors should be able to use <figure> where <img> can be used [HTML 5 spec]

ISSUE-128 (figure-in-p): Authors should be able to use <figure> where <img> can be used [HTML 5 spec]

http://www.w3.org/html/wg/tracker/issues/128

Raised by: Henri Sivonen
On product: HTML 5 spec

Escalated from http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=10589

Currently, HTML5 makes it impossible to for HTML authors to use <figure> as a
child of <p>, because <figure> automatically closes <p> in the tree builder.

This is bad for authors on the conceptual level, because <figure> is primarily
supposed to be a way to express images that have a caption, so being unable to
use <figure> in places where <img> can be used is conceptually confusing.

This is bad for authors on the pragmatic level, because given the CSS features
available to authors currently and in the foreseeable future, the easiest way
to make the top edge of a float align with the top edge of the text in a block
regardless of margin/padding/border on the block box is to place the float as
the first child of the block. That is, one would want to place <figure> as the
first child of <p> when making a floating figure associated with a paragraph.
Floating figures are the typical expected use for <figure>.

For <figure> to be useful to authors, it is essential to make it easy to use
<figure> where <img> can be used and, in particular, to make it easy to use
floating figures within the practical constraints arising from the CSS
formatting model as it is available to authors today.

Received on Friday, 1 October 2010 11:27:15 UTC