Re: New file locations for LINK and ROLE test files

[distribution note: Jon, I would like to allocate this thread to 
XTECH (note Cc: above). Is that OK? - Al]

At 11:05 PM -0400 5/10/05, Aaron Leventhal wrote:
>Jon,
>
>Is there a way to expose states using link/rel ?
>Without the states, the roles are limited in use.
>
>- Aaron

I was musing about this just the other day.

I think that this was why I was muttering things about sXBL.

But we don't necessarily need W3C XBL to do this, if we are brash and lucky.

Here is a rough sketch of how it might go.  Note:  I speak as a fool.  Here
I am parroting things I have heard but don't really understand.  Please listen
with optimistic ears.

<sketch>

The key is the custom widgets in Firefox 1.1 that implement the API
binding of the role-marked elements.

The states don't have to be in the HTML to be implemented in the
Gecko binding. All the Gecko binding needs from the HTML is a
sufficient key to recognize that certain elements in the HTML are
supposed to have known roles. The code that binds to the custom
widgets in Gecko *knows* that if it gets role X it gets states Y and
Z. Anywhat that's the dream.

The question is, then how does the script programmer get access to
the unmanaged states? One option is that the same code that
injects the API binding edits the DOM to add the states.  Then the
script can twiddle them.  Or the script uses DOM access to the
as-rendered object.  That take conferring with the sXBL folks about
DOM access to the view layer.

Or is the HTML4 version of all this limited to  Browser-managed states?
Anyway, send your mind in this direction.  A phone call would not
be wasted, IMHO.

</sketch>

Al

Received on Wednesday, 11 May 2005 12:34:45 UTC