[Bug 13108] New: Add &zwsp; as named character reference for zero width space (U+200B)

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13108

           Summary: Add &zwsp; as named character reference for zero width
                    space (U+200B)
           Product: HTML WG
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
               URL: http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/named-character-reference
                    s#named-character-references-table
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)
        AssignedTo: ian@hixie.ch
        ReportedBy: xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no
         QAContact: public-html-bugzilla@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org, public-html-wg-issue-tracking@w3.org,
                    public-html@w3.org


REQUEST:
&zwsp; as a named character reference for the Zero Width Space Character
(U+200B)  should be obligatory for all HTML5 parsers to support

STATUS:
# Internet Explorer 6 - 9 support &zwsp 
# Many web authors seems to think &zwsp; *is* a character reference, see 
   http://www.google.no/search?hl=nn&q=%26zwsp; and 
   http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13098#c3
# Many others seem to wonder why &zwsp; *isnt't* a named character reference
    (seems like Ian is one of those: 
http://krijnhoetmer.nl/irc-logs/whatwg/20100329 
   Jukka have said things lik that:
http://www.webmasterkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/dhtml/2648/Zero-width-space-still-unsafe
   Several at TPAC  2007-11-09 were positive:
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2007Nov/0158.html

NOTES ABOUT IE's SUPPORT: 
# IE does *not* support omitting the semicolon for this character references.
Hence it would not be necessary to require. (HTML5 already distinguishes
between references where this is necessary for parsers to support and where it
is not necessary for parsers to support.)
# IE supports &zwsp; in both no-quirks and quirks mode. 

TEST CASE:
# http://software.hixie.ch/utilities/js/live-dom-viewer/saved/1051

POSITIVE EFFECTS:
# All browsers would behave the same way
# Less author confusion. Many web authors only tests one web browser and thus
belive &zwsp; to be a character references already
# The point has been made for a long time already that it would be very logical
to support &zwsp;
# It is short and easy to remember.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS:
# There are already 5 named character references for U+200B in HTML5.

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Received on Friday, 1 July 2011 01:25:40 UTC