Re: minor ambiguity: label attribute of option element (17.6.1) (PR#9514)

The working group agrees that this is a typographical error in HTML 4.01.  The
illustration should indeed use "none" instead of "None".

Thank you for pointing this out.

> 
> Hello,
> 
> I am currently wondering about an ambiguity
> in section 17.6.1 of HTML 4.01:
> 
> "ELEMENT OPTION
 [...]
>  label = text [CS] 
>    This attribute allows authors to specify a shorter label for an option than

> the content of the OPTION element. When specified, user agents should use the

> value of this attribute rather than the content of the OPTION element as the 
> option label."
> 
> 
> It is unclear if this is to be applied in all contexts (including simple 
> SELECT > OPTION) or only in the context of hierarchical menus (SELECT > 
> OPTGROUP > OPTION)
> 
> 
> As the dtd says precisely:
> 
> "ATTLIST OPTION
 [...]
>   label       %Text;         #IMPLIED  -- for use in hierarchical menus --
> "
> 
> and the specification further gives as an illustration: 
> 
> 
> " <SELECT name="ComOS">
>      <OPTION selected label="none" value="none">None</OPTION>
>      <OPTGROUP label="PortMaster 3">
>        <OPTION label="3.7.1" value="pm3_3.7.1">PortMaster 3 with ComOS 
> [...]
> 
> represents the following grouping:
>   None
>   PortMaster 3
>       3.7.1
> "
> 
>   => the capitalization of "None" in the representation hints that the 
> option's content is to be displayed in the UI in the non-hierarchical case, 
> and not the label attribute.
> 
> Thank you for any clarification you may bring,
> 
> gg.
> 
> 
> 

Received on Thursday, 6 April 2006 00:35:18 UTC