Re: Why Binding Scripting in Style Layer Conflates Semantics

Lachlan Hunt wrote:
> 
> Shelby Moore wrote:
> 
>> Boris Zbarsky wrote:
>>
>>> With XBL bound via CSS, you can (and probably should, for the use 
>>> case we're discussing) do:
>>>
>>>    select[type="select-a-country"] { binding: url(map.xml); }
>>
>>
>> Yes, but nothing stopping the coder from doing:
>>
>>     select { binding: url(map.xml); }
> 
> 
> What's the problem with that?  That doesn't alter the semantics of the 
> select element in any way whatsoever, and (assuming this is an (X)HTML 
> select element) it still semantically represents a form control for the 
> user to select 1 or more items (depending on the multiple attribute). 
> The presentation of the control, whether it is presented as a drop down 
> list, a set of radio buttons, check boxes, a world map or anything else 
> you can possibly imagine for the user to interact with, has absolutely 
> no affect upon the *semantics* of the element.
> 
> If it did, then, would you say this is wrong:
> 
> h1 { color: green; }
> 
> By your logic, it would be, because the h1 element is not marked up as 
> being a *green* heading, in which case we may as well go back to using 
> <font> elements.  My point is, again, that a select element presented as 
> a drop down list has no semantic difference from the same element 
> presented in another way.

I don't think that's quite what he's saying. I think the analogous case 
would be you have to declare the h1 to be about leaves, and _then_ you 
can style it to be green.

(The original being you have to declare the select to be about 
countries, and then you can style it like a map.)

Is this right?


-- 
dolphinling
<http://dolphinling.net/>

Received on Thursday, 24 November 2005 18:55:42 UTC