Re: Context of the main element

_Very_ good question.

Since <body> is considered sectioning content and sections can appear
inside sections, the singularity of <main> is curious. For what it's worth,
I think this limits its uses.

I think that only one of two courses makes sense.

1. <main> remains a "use once" element just like... erm...  <body>... and
should be considered a type of sectioning content. In this case it _should_
affect the outline. If it does not affect the outline, it essentially
describes the largest _section_ (read: part) of the page without actually
belonging to the page's structure in any meaningful way.

2. It is considered a type of organizational or "grouping" element like
<footer> or <header> and does not affect the outline. However, it can still
be used as a form of clarification for AT etc. regardless of its parent
section's nesting level.

I don't think that further <main>s - used correctly within subsections -
would undermine the clarity afforded by having a <main> at the top (body)
level. The "Scooby Do" approach wasn't trumped by the singularity of <main>
per se, but by its singularity within the given context. In other words,
whatever the parent section or subsection, <main> still isn't "some <div>
or other".

Cheers - Heydon (@heydonworks)

Received on Thursday, 31 January 2013 17:02:11 UTC