Re: [FileAPI] Why is FileList a sequence?

On 1/31/11 11:04 AM, Simon Pieters wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Why is FileList defined as
>
>      typedef sequence<File> FileList;
>
> rather than as an interface similar to NodeList? It seems that in 
> Gecko and WebKit FileList is more like NodeList than as a sequence.
>

(In the process of going through feedback to prepare FileAPI for Last 
Call Status, I realize I overlooked this message.  My apologies for that.)

So this goes back to the earliest versions of the specification, when 
WebIDL itself was in flux.  Sequence parametrized types were considered 
a superior choice owing to having a lot of the hard work of defining 
these kinds of datatypes "in-built", and I was urged by Hixie and others 
to adopt it for FileList.  I *originally* had NodeList (or something 
else akin to the classic array model -- can't remember now :) ).

Do you disagree that FileList should be a sequence parametrized type?  
Would you rather I revert back to earlier WebIDL constructs?  I'm happy 
to do so, *especially* if these stand as LC blockers for any 
implementer, but I personally don't feel a lot of reason to change it, 
since I think WebIDL accounts for the FileList use case.  Do you 
disagree strongly?

Other tasks remain before LC, obviously -- notably, an event queue 
overhaul of the spec. to make it closer to what HTML5 does -- but I've 
continued to update the Editor's Draft:

http://dev.w3.org/2006/webapi/FileAPI/

-- A*