Re: HTML 3.2 -- INPUT inside BODY?

\\ I've noticed in the HTML3.2 DTD that BODY can directly contain 
\\ INPUT, SELECT and TEXTAREA.  This is also the case in Cougar. 
\\ Should they not be excluded from this content? Or, is this a 
\\ reflection of bindings to scripting languages? I have always 
\\ placed FORM input inside FORM elements, thinking this was the 
\\ correct markup. This has changed?
\\ 
\\ Ian
\\ --
\\ Ian Graham ................................... ian.graham@utoronto.ca
\\ Information Commons                            University of Toronto
\\             "Information faster than the speed of ....."
\\ 
\\ 

I had asked the exact same question once upon a time, and got some fairly
good responses.

1. The mechanism for defining the context for INPUT, SELECT and TEXTAREA in
HTML 2.0 was by defining inclusions for the FORM element. By doing so, you
can include INPUT within a TABLE or a DL, rather than within a table cell
or a DD. This makes no more sense than it does to include the form elements
in all contexts (as opposed to only forms).

2. This is a placeholder for the future where things other than FORMS will
need input methods, including scripts etc.

3. It is now the responsibility of the browser to check the appropriateness
of the context before displaying input elements. No, this does not really
qualify as a reason for the change, but it does tell us how we can still
have a page that makes sense with semantics that allow for input elements
in all contexts.

I know there was one more, I can't remember it though.

Sunil

Received on Tuesday, 27 August 1996 23:32:16 UTC