Re: Handling of script attributes (was Re: HTML 4.0 draft (fwd)

Once upon a time Liam Quinn shaped the electrons to say...
>But many of the event handlers are media-specific, which is unnecessary as 
>well as inconsistent with the overall message of HTML 4.0.  There should 

true, I can see your point there.

>be ways to provide event handlers inline, embedded, or externally, just as 
>with style sheets.  Inline, a more generic attribute like SCRIPT (or 
>perhaps EVENT) would be consistent with the style sheet approach, and 
>would allow new, language-dependent event handlers to be developed without 
>having to update HTML standards.  The syntax of the SCRIPT value would be 
>language-dependent, but I could imagine something like the following:
>
><INPUT TYPE=text NAME=email SCRIPT="onChange: validate(this); onFocus: 
>tip('e.g., liam@htmlhelp.com');">
>or perhaps
><INPUT TYPE=text NAME=email SCRIPT="onChange { validate(this); } onFocus { 
>tip('e.g., liam@htmlhelp.com'); }">

I think this is a great idea.  It allows for expansion in the scripting
realm without having to change the HTML DTDs.  I'd also include language
tags, as are used today:

<INPUT TYPE=text NAME=email SCRIPT="javascript1.1: (onChange: validate(this); 
onFocus: tip('e.g., liam@htmlhelp.com');) vbscript: (onChange: anotherfunc();
onFocus: anotherfunc();)">

That would allow greater flexibility for authors who wish to tailor
features to different browsers and scripting languages - and versions
thereof.

>>Note that you can already 
>>use the SRC attribute on a SCRIPT element to call an external script.
>This syntax makes little sense given the following alternative:
><LINK REL=Script HREF="yourscript.js" TYPE="text/javascript" TITLE="Form 
>validation">

I agree.  We sort of got the empty <SCRIPT></SCRIPT> element by default
as an add-on.  But the LINK method seems a better way going forward.

-MZ
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Received on Friday, 25 July 1997 19:32:17 UTC