Re: HTML40 spec: possible error with IMG height/width attributes

Ian Hickson wrote:
> 
> A few weeks ago I posted this to www-html, but no conclusion was drawn and
> no word from the w3c was given. I believe this is an error in the html40
> spec.

Hello Ian,

Sorry for the silence. I've had to put HTML 4.0 on the back burner
for the last few weeks.
 
> Nic Hughes (on the ciwah group) pointed out to me that the 'height' and
> 'width' attributes are NOT deprecated (in HTML4) according to the attribute
> index. However, it seems to me that according to section 13.7 they *are*:
> 
> >>13.7 Visual presentation of images, objects, and applets
> >>All IMG and OBJECT attributes that concern visual alignment
> >>and presentation have been deprecated in favor of style sheets.
> >>13.7.1 Width and height
> http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-HTML4/struct/objects.html#adef-width-IMG
> 
> Since 'height' and 'width' on IMG are "override" heights and widths, they
> certainly seem like "attributes that concern ... presentation". The
> attributes are also present in the DTD.
> 
> Is this an error in the attribute index (please say that it is!) or an
> error in the text? CSS has been able to specifiy height/width since the
> early CSS1 days, IMHO there is no reason for height and width to stay.

> [Note: http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html40-updates/html40-errata.html states
> that the width attribute on PRE *has* been deprecated. It does not mention
> IMG's width/height attributes. Other IMG attributes, e.g. vspace, are listed
> as deprecated in the attribute index.]

Because 'height' and 'width' are used to override the natural image or
object size, they were not deprecated by the Working Group. There was
much debate about this, and the WG decided not to deprecate them.
The attribute index is correct and the prose is ambiguous. 

I'm sorry for the confusion and the delay in replying to your message.

 - Ian


-- 
Ian Jacobs (jacobs@w3.org) 
Tel/Fax: (212) 684-1814 
http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs

Received on Saturday, 13 June 1998 16:22:51 UTC