- From: Robert Burns <rob@robburns.com>
- Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 13:54:11 -0500
- To: Lachlan Hunt <lachlan.hunt@lachy.id.au>
- Cc: Ben 'Cerbera' Millard <cerbera@projectcerbera.com>, HTMLWG <public-html@w3.org>
Hi Laclan, On Aug 8, 2007, at 10:17 AM, Lachlan Hunt wrote: > > Robert Burns wrote: >> On Aug 7, 2007, at 8:09 PM, Ben 'Cerbera' Millard wrote: >>> When talking about HTML table headers, I think "headers" is the >>> best word available. >> OK, then what about table data cell headings? What's the best word >> for that? Is that different than the headers/headings contained in >> a THEAD which is more like a THEADER (a table header). If you find >> yourself translating all of these different terms back into >> headers, then that's the very problem I'm trying to avoid. There >> are different concepts here that all have the same word. That's a >> recipe for disaster. > > When it's not clear from the context and you need to distinguish > between them, then just use something like header group, header row > and header cell. That solves part of the problem I'm trying to get at. The other problem is the treatment of heading as synonymous with header (the draft sometimes seems to move back and forth between these in the "Sectioning elements" chapter). I think that "header" and "heading" have fairly well defined meanings that are being undermined by their usage in the draft (and probably in the previous recommendations too). It's not necessary that we adopt the language I'm using in the final draft, but it's important that we digest the introduction of new vocabulary by each of our members if we're to be able to communicate at all. Again, if you just keep translating the word "heading"back into "header" as you read what I wrote, you certainly won't see the point of why I make this distinction. However, if you read me as introducing a vocabulary distinction and think, that maybe I'm not just doing this frivolously, but because it illuminates and important underlying distinction, you'll be in a better position to understand what I'm posting. The reason I want to introduce these differentiating terms, is because I want to be able to talk about a table in a way I couldn't otherwise do. I'm suggesting that there are runners to a table (like to a page or a section) and those runners are often called headers and footers. We have another concept that is not a runner: a TH cell. This TH cell may appear in a runner, but it doe not have to. That is a TH cell does not have to appear in a header. It's a subtle distinction, but I think the seeming paradox is because a TH is not a header cell, as the term "header" is commonly used. I'm calling it a heading cell, because that is a closer match to the role played by a TH cell than is the term "header". Like I said I'm not advocating that we necessarily use this language in the Tabular data chapter of the draft, but I think it will help others understand my posts on the topic. Take care, Rob
Received on Wednesday, 8 August 2007 18:54:31 UTC