RE: The "title" attribute of "style" elements

On Fri, 5 Nov 1999, Chris Wilson wrote:

>>> In fact, the HTML 4.0 spec does not explicitly state that multiple
>>> LINKed preferred stylesheets (that is, REL="stylesheet" and a
>>> given TITLE) are not all to be applied on load.
>> Section 14.3.1 of HTML4:
>># User agents MUST NOT apply alternate style sheets with a different
>># style name.
>>   -- http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/present/styles.html#h-14.3.1:
> Indeed; you've pointed out the major incompatibility between the
> HTML 4.0 specification and the "HTML and Style Sheets" draft
> (http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-style-970324) that was the only
> specification for HTML and style sheets until December 1997.

"It is inappropriate to use W3C Working Drafts as reference material
or to cite them as other than "work in progress"."

 
>>> Only by setting the RELationship to "alternate stylesheet" can you
>>> keep the stylesheet from being automatically applied. A STYLE
>>> element functions like a LINK with a REL of "stylesheet", not one of
>>> "alternate stylesheet". Otherwise, how would you make a preferred
>>> embedded stylesheet?
>>
>>Section 14.3.2 of HTML4:
>>#    * Specify that the style sheet is persistent, preferred, or
>>#      alternate:
>>#         + To make a style sheet persistent, set the rel attribute to
>>#           "stylesheet" and don't set the title attribute.
>>#         + To make a style sheet preferred, set the rel attribute to
>>#           "stylesheet" and name the style sheet with the title
>>#           attribute.
>>#         + To specify an alternate style sheet, set the rel attribute to
>>#           "alternate stylesheet" and name the style sheet with the
>>#           title attribute.
>
> Read what I said - how would you make a PREFERRED EMBEDDED (that
> means a <STYLE> element) style sheet.

Just give it a title. ("name the style sheet with the title
attribute") The real question is how to make the style element an
alternate stylesheet, and not a preferred one. The answer is, include
it after any other link or style elements with titles (since it has no
'rel' attribute).

 
> <STYLE> would be a default (persistent) sheet.
> <STYLE TITLE="foo"> would, in this proposal, be an alternate, but
> not preferred, therefore not automatically loaded.

No, it would be preferred if it came before any other preferred
stylesheets. Just like a <LINK> stylesheet with a TITLE attribute but
no "alternate" in the REL attribute.


>> If we indeed assume that the <style> element is like a <link> with
>> a REL of "stylesheet", then from the above rules the behaviour I
>> described is exactly what should happen!
> That's true; however, that wouldn't be your original proposal, would
> it?

If, so, my apologies. I intended to propose behaviour whereby the
'title' attribute of STYLE elements is treated _identically_ to the
'title' attribute of LINK elements, and that all STYLE elements are
assumed to be "rel=stylesheet".


> You would not be specifying multiple alternate style sheets, you
> would be specifying multiple preferred style sheets - and you'd have
> no way of including a SINGLE alternate style sheet that was not
> automatically loaded.

A preferred stylesheet with a different name than a
previously-specified preferred stylesheet should be treated as an
alternate stylesheet per the HTML4 specification. I am not proposing
any change to this part of the specs.

-- 
Ian Hickson
"So far, people have shown a reasonable amount of sense in evaluating
souls (whether they are properly priced)."
  -- Nick Gibbins; Author of http://totl.net/Soul/, 1999-10-05

Received on Thursday, 11 November 1999 09:16:26 UTC