Menus and Toolbars

I propose a possible extension to HTML, whereby lists are used to
implement both menus and toolbars. Essentially, you could use this
notation to indicate a menu:

<ul type=menu id="ExampleMenu">
<li><a href="example.html">Menu Text</a>
<hr> <!Separator>
    <ul id="SubMenu1">
        <!Submenu>
    </ul>
</ul>

and a semi-identical notation for a toolbar:

<ul type=toolbar>
<li>
....
    <ul>
        <!Drop down menu>
    </ul>
</ul>

In both these cases, backwards compatibility is preserved.

Also, other types could be done in a similar manner:
<ul type=sitemap></ul>
For example, so as to get rid of the number of proprietary or
half-standard methods floating around now for sitemaps, while still
providing backwards compatibility.
Furthermore, in the situation where there are multiple frames, the
menus/toolbars would be context sensitive to the current frame selected.
A menu/toolbar global to a frameset could be put in the topmost frame
specification document.
For a frameless site, which wishes to include the menus across the site,
each page could include the list.

CSS could be used to detail the presentational aspects of these
different widgets. For example: detachable/dockable, position, size etc.
You could even possibly include information on the list's type in the
CSS section.

There's obviously still some problems to work out, but tell me what you
think.

My motivation for this proposal is that I believe we should be
developing HTML to be THE standard for interface implementation. XML
handles data, HTML (without CSS) handles interface, CSS handles
presentation and Scripts handle change (currently only transient unless
you're willing to pay). Greater development in the strengths of each of
these areas, will minimise overlap and redundancy and will give us an
application development toolkit to seriously rival traditional coding.

Received on Wednesday, 24 June 1998 02:10:53 UTC