Comments on CSS3 backgrounds WD

(http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-css3-background-20020219/)

All the new properties seem to be missing 'inherit' values. I'm not sure
about the usefulness of either of the following properties, but anyway...:

background-spacing
------------------

The 'value' given here doesn't seem to match the description; it only
specifies a single parameter, not two (horizontal/vertical); what is a
<spacing> unit and how does it differ from <length>? What is 'initial'?
If it means 'the same size as the background-image or background-size',
why not call it 'auto'? Is the default value of '0' a mistake (which
would mean an infinite number of backgrounds to draw), or does it mean
'no extra spacing, just the size of the background image'?


background-quantity
-------------------

This also seems somewhat loosely specified. Is the example supposed to
mean 'infinity by 3' tiles (as the text implies), or '3 by 1' (which would
make more sense)? Also, in which direction does it repeat when a
background-quantity is specified? Always rightwards and downwards? What
about when the initial background is positioned at 'bottom right'?
Again, what is this 'initial' value?

It seems to me easier to extend background-repeat to cope with limited
numbers of repeats than to come up with a new property. For example:

background-repeat:
  [<integer> | infinite]{1,2} | repeat | no-repeat | repeat-x | repeat-y
  | inherit

where the old values become shorthand - repeat-x is the same as
'infinite 0' and so on. A single value could be given to apply to both
horinontal and vertical axes: 'background-repeat: 1;' could mean one
repeat in both directions: that is, a two-by-two square of tiles. To
solve the 'which directions do things repeat in' question, negative
numbers could be allowed -

  background-position: bottom right;
  background-repeat: -1 -2;

- would mean a two-by-three block of tiles in the bottom-right corner
of the element.

If even further control were required, it could be extended to a fourfold
list, specifying top, right, bottom, left repeats:

  background-position: center center;
  background-repeat: 1 1 1 1;

would mean a three-by-three block of tiles centred in the middle of the
element.

-- 
Andrew Clover
mailto:and@doxdesk.com
http://and.doxdesk.com/

Received on Saturday, 9 March 2002 20:13:33 UTC