Re: HTML is a declarative mark-up language

Leif Halvard Silli wrote:
> Boris Zbarsky 2009-01-30 22.49:
>>   <a id="mytable">
>>     <table><tr><td></td></tr></table>
>>   </a>
>>
>> is not valid HTML 4 (or HTML 3.2, for that matter).  <a> is not 
>> allowed to contain <table>. 
> 
> But in HTML 5, the HTML 3.2 practise will be allowed again.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Which "HTML 3.2 practise"?

> The draft allready contains one example of id inside anchor - however, 
> that example also contains a href:

There is no problem with <a id=""> in HTML4.  What there _is_ a problem 
with is a <table> inside <a>.  HTML5 is removing this restriction, by 
the way.

> Today, when we have gotten different ways to highlight that number when 
> you click on the backlink to that footnote-link, there is a purpose on 
> having the id inside the anchor element here. But previously, when the 
> only method to see that a link anchor destination was activated was, 
> that that location moved to the top of the window, the author could just 
> as well have placed the id in the <dd> element - in fact, that might be 
> better for a sighted user.

I would argue it's still better, if the backlink is to the definition as 
a whole.  But see below.

> While for a screen reader user it may be better go back to exactly the 
> place where they were before they clicked - namely to the link. And also 
> for sighted users, if the footnote was in the middle of a paragraph, 
> this wouild certainly be preferred.

If the point is to go back to the footnote link itself (e.g. for a user 
who's pointed directly to the footnote from elsewhere and wants to see 
the context in which it was referenced in this document, absolutely agreed.

-Boris

Received on Sunday, 1 February 2009 03:05:04 UTC