Re: [CSS21] response to issue 92

On Wednesday 2004-02-11 22:23 +0100, Bjoern Hoehrmann wrote:
> * Bert Bos wrote:
> >Your e-mail:
> >    http://www.w3.org/mid/3F875337.6080406@escape.com
> >    :first-line
> >    # The :first-line pseudo-element can only be attached to
> >    # a block-level element.
> >       elem            { display: block; }
> >       elem:first-line { color: blue; }
> >       elem.special    { display: inline; }
> >    say what?
> >
> >CSS WG response:
> >    We don't see the issue.
> 
> Pseudo-elements are attached to element type selectors or the universal
> selector; neither of them has a notion of beeing block-level, hence the

The quoted text is not about selector syntax.  It says where the
pseudo-element can be created.  Writing a selector doesn't *make* a
pseudo-element.  The pseudo-element is a weird thing somewhere in the
area of the document tree or rendering tree (the text of the spec quoted
above suggests that it is "attached" to an element).  Its computed style
(and perhaps whether it exists or not) comes from any selectors that
match it.

(As far as I can tell, this is just a more advanced form of the same
misconception that leads people to say "creating a class" when they mean
"writing a selector that matches an element with a class".)

-David

-- 
L. David Baron                                <URL: http://dbaron.org/ >

Received on Wednesday, 11 February 2004 16:44:13 UTC