Re: Placeholder Text for Text Boxes

Ben Boyle wrote:
> An alternative option would be to introduce a new element, e.g. <hint
> for="id-of-control">Hint text here</hint>.
> 
> Similar pros and cons with the additional notes (perhaps?) that:
> - Con: some browsers have implemented @hint, none having implemented <hint>
> - Pro: browsers that have not implemented <hint> will render its
> contents (this would be my preference for backwards compatibility)

> - Pro: association with form element could be achieved by nesting
> <hint> within an associated <label> element: e.g. <label
> for="some-id">Label: <hint>(hint here)</hint></label>

I'm not sure how that one is a pro, it's just a description of how it works.

- Con: Additional complexity dealing with a situation where there are 
two hints within the label.  Should it use the first?  Should it 
concatenate them?

> - Pro: potential to use richer markup (e.g. links, <kbd>, <em>, etc.).

Given that the use cases only require plain text and that it is intended 
to be rendered visually within the text box, I would consider the extra 
complexity of having to define how to deal with  the contained markup to 
be a con.  How would one deal with this, for instance:

   <hint><a href=#>Link</a></hint>

> Do we have a wiki page where I can add all this?

I don't think so, feel free to make one.

-- 
Lachlan Hunt
http://lachy.id.au/

Received on Tuesday, 21 August 2007 16:19:50 UTC