[whatwg] Localised numbers

The rules for parsing floating point number values [2.4.4.5] apply to the
input element in number state as well.  This is not good.  People who fill
forms tend to input numbers with the keypad --- that is what the keypad is
for --- and the keypad keyboard layout follows the local conventions and not
the HTML specification (of course).  For example, it is not possible to get
a full stop using the keypad, as required by step 12, as the keypad has a
comma instead.
I suggest that a comma should be treated as a decimal point by step?12.
I also suggest that true MINUS SIGN should be treated the same as HYPHEN
MINUS by step?8.  This applies to the rules for parsing integers [2.4.4.2]
also, and the use case is pasting existing content.  Otherwise, existing
content containing negative numbers would have to be worse than it could be
in order that it could be pasted into HTML forms.
Of course, these extensions should apply to input elements [4.10.4.1.13]
only.  Since they are pure extensions, they should not introduce any
incompatibilities with what is already deployed.
Cheers,
Chris

Received on Wednesday, 1 July 2009 06:02:56 UTC