HTML 4.0 review

Given the urgency of the HTML 4.0 review, there are a few points that I
think could be clarified. Firstly, on the Formats and Protocols working
group page, it is stated that there are issues concerning alternate style
sheets and media types which are yet to be resolved. I would like to know
what problems remain to be dealt with in these areas. Secondly, should
this working group recommend that a TITLE attribute be added to the FRAME
element so that authors can specify a meaningful label for each frame? I
understand the present situation in this respect to be as follows. The
NAME attribute is intended to define a target to which reference can be
made via an URL fragment, for example in an anchor. NAME is an optional
attribute, in that it is implied in the published DTD. Clearly, the value
of NAME is not intended for human consumption, and nor is the value of
SRC, which gives the URL of the document that comprises the content of the
frame. This situation appears to be unsatisfactory. Lynx version 2..7.1
provides an interesting illustration of how a user agent can attempt to
make the best of it. Lynx displays a document in which frames are defined
as a series of links. The text comprising each link is derived as follows: 
if the corresponding frame includes the NAME attribute, then that name is
displayed as the text of the link (E.G. "FRAME: INDEX", where "INDEX" is
the value of the NAME attribute); but if NAME is not specified, then the
URL of the target document, as given in SRC, is presented (E.G. "FRAME: 
"sidebar.htm"). 

As suggested above, a TITLE attribute could be added so as to enable a
more adequate label to be associated with each frame. It would be best if
TITLE were required, but assuming this is not possible in the short time
available to us, I would suggest that a default behaviour be defined, such
as that exemplified above, for representing frames in a non-visual
environment.

The foregoing suggestions are only tentative and I would appreciate
comments from other members of the working group.

Received on Friday, 12 September 1997 21:24:13 UTC