Re: [CSS3 Text] Thoughts on hanging-punctuation property

Daniel Aleksandersen wrote:
> Hi list,
> 
> (This email uses Unicode characters. Make sure your email client and font 
> supports rich punctuation and Unicode.)
> 
> Regarding the current draft for the hanging-punctuation property: 
> http://w3.org/TR/2007/WD-css3-text-20070306/#hanging-punctuation
> 
> I want to see more values for the property. Currently the following are 
> drafted (from the above web page).
> none | [ start || end || end-edge ]
> 
> These are the once I would like to see instead:
> none | [ start || left-edges || edges || end || right-edges ]
> 
> As everyone can see I use plural in ‘edges’ to clarify that it will apply on 
> multiple edges.

Multiple edges?

> I also changed it from start and end to left and right 
> edges; to further clarify which edges will get hanging‐punctuation. Another 
> reason for doing this is that ‘left hanging‐punctuation’ is a common term 
> in typography.

The reason for using 'start' and 'end' instead of 'left' and 'right' is
that it automatically works correctly both for right-to-left and left-to-right
scripts.

> Further more I added ‘edges’—equal to hanging-punctuation: 
> left-edges right-edges; but faster to write—for simplicity.

I'm not convinced that this is really necessary; I wouldn't expect to
set this more than once or twice per style sheet. Also, I'm not familiar
with any use of "left-edge" hanging punctuation.

> And there is a really To answer a question on the page ‘Which marks are 
> affected?‘: All characters from the General, and Supplemental Punctuation 
> blocks as per the Unicode standard must appear as hanging. The most correct 
> method is to have any punctuation appear as hanging; including ( [ . - and 
> anything else. The only exceptions would POSSIBLY be U+2052 COMMERCIAL 
> MINUS SIGN and any other punctuation mark that appears with U+20 SPACE—or 
> any other space character—on both sides.

I'm a bit skeptical about applying this to *all* punctuation. I imagine all
opening/closing punctuation would be affected on 'start' and 'end', and all
stops and maybe hyphens on 'end-edge', but carets and asterisks?

Can you post examples (e.g. scans) of where this is applied to other punctuation,
or where "left-edge" ('start-edge') hanging punctuation is used?

~fantasai

Received on Tuesday, 9 October 2007 03:01:59 UTC