RE: [css3-multicol] page-break-inside and columns

HP's understanding is that there are currently two high-level options on the table to add column breaking to CSS:

1. Add additional keywords to the existing page-break-* properties to address the major use cases.  Specific values TBD, but an 'avoid'-based value set seems to be preferred.

2. Add three new column-breaking properties ('column-break-before', 'column-break-after', 'column-break-inside') and define their interactions with the existing page-breaking properties; also define three shorthands ('break-before', 'break-after', 'break-inside') that would set both page- and column-breaking values.  Consider deprecating both page- and column-breaking properties in the future.

We think a third possible option could be:

3.  Define 'break-before', 'break-after', and 'break-inside' as aliases to 'page-break-before', 'page-break-after', and 'page-break-inside'.

In general, we favor options (2) and (3) because we think they provide superior usability.  Authors will most easily understand the 'break-*' syntax, and will therefore make better use of breaking properties.

Both options (1) and (3) may leave some use cases unattainable.  We haven't yet been convinced of the compelling importance of those use cases (but we're open to being enlightened ;-).

Best wishes,

Melinda


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Melinda S. Grant
Melinda Grant Consulting
+1.541.582.3681
Melinda.Grant@hp.com<mailto:melinda.grant@hp.com>