- From: Mark Birbeck <mark.birbeck@x-port.net>
- Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 17:14:57 +0100
- To: www-html@w3.org
Anne, > Tags are only relevant if you're discussing source code or authoring > requirements. If you're explicitly talking about the "<p> element start > tag" or something. Otherwise you should just refer to them as elements. As > in: "The <i> element indicates italics." Interesting...but why would you have the 'less-than' and 'greater-than' symbols there? That would mean that you are using a start tag in ordinary prose, which doesn't seem right to me. Alternatives would be: The 'i' element indicates italics. The <em>i</em> element indicates italics. The <code>i</code> element indicates italics. When used in blogs or specifications I have always tended towards the latter, but I've just realised that this is not actually consistent with the way I write attributes! (See below :) As I write this I'm starting to think that from the standpoint of writing 'English' then either of the first two is actually better. If one was using the 'code' element then it probably should contain genuine mark-up, for example around the first part of this sentence: <i>...</i> indicates italics. Whatever approach is used, I think one of these alternatives is preferable to using a 'floating' start tag with nothing around it, and the word 'element' after. I mentioned attributes above, and whilst we're on this subject we might as throw them into the pot; you often see this in prose: The @class attribute is used for... My feeling is that it should really be one of these: The 'class' attribute is used for... The <em>class</em> attribute is used for... <code>@class</code> is used for... By leaving in the '@' it is no longer the 'name' of the attribute, and it's back to being 'real' mark-up (or 'code'). Regards, Mark -- Mark Birbeck CEO x-port.net Ltd. e: Mark.Birbeck@x-port.net t: +44 (0) 20 7689 9232 w: http://www.formsPlayer.com/ b: http://internet-apps.blogspot.com/ Download our XForms processor from http://www.formsPlayer.com/
Received on Monday, 25 September 2006 16:15:13 UTC