Re: Ideas for the ACSS module of CSS3

On Sat, 14 Oct 2000, Sean Palmer wrote:

> CSS Properties for sub-module: Styles For Optional Data
> (For @media aural)
> Name:
>     'play'
> CSS Values:
>     [ normal | optional | none ]+
> Initial value:
>     'normal'

Just aural? It may be useful with other "stream" media, e.g. some
implementations of the braille media type. Some of the properties
currently applicable only to aural media could IMO easily be applied to
other media where the content available to the user at any given moment is
very small and advanced automatically - for instance, the pause and cue
properties. (Perhaps another value is required on the paged/continuous
media group axis?)

[...]
> Name: alt.
> Provides an alternative content for User Agents to render if they find the
> current content unrenderable. Can also be used in conunction with the 'skip'
> property to provide a frag ID or URI to skip to when styled content is
> bypassed. <uri> (URI for the alternative content), or 'none' (none).

The first meaning is useful. Primarily, I suppose, (unless I have
misunderstood) in user style sheets in order to deal with content that
does not fall back nicely, in which case it should probably have the same
set of allowed values as the content property. Of course, it could easily
be abused by authors, but it is hardly unique in that respect.

The second I am not so sure about. I feel it requires too much knowledge
of the document to which it applies, and could result in skipping in
convoluted and confusing ways. It _should_ suffice simply to skip to the
end of the element to be bypassed - i.e. for the skip property to allow
the user to do the equivalent of setting "display: none". Quite apart from
that, you might want to be able to skip something which might be
unrenderable, thus requiring alternative content if not skipped.


Tim Bagot

Received on Saturday, 14 October 2000 14:45:42 UTC