Re: [CSS21] display:run-in clarifications

On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 1:46 AM, Patrick Garies<pgaries@fastmail.us> wrote:
> On 8/26/2009 1:24 AM, Sylvain Galineau wrote:
>>
>> I like the text too but I will ask the dumb question: what is the
>> core set of text cases for run-ins ? Clearly, this results in boxes
>> becoming inline or block depending on the context but I'm not 100%
>> clear on what problem it solves ?
>
> It allows headings to run into paragraphs while allowing the two to remain
> in separate elements. I can't provide an example right now, but I know I've
> wanted to do it multiple times in the past.
>
> Ex: |h1| ... |h6| runs into |p|
>
> Another example, might be to run definition terms into definition
> description elements as if they were part of a single paragraph but keeping
> the two types of content separate via their appropriate elements. I've seen
> this done in glossaries at the end of books. It's pretty much the same thing
> except with different elements.
>
> Ex: |dt| runs into |dd|
>
> (You can do this by using |dfn| and |p|, but that doesn't allow as much
> flexibility as far as layouts go.)

I've run into both of these situation exactly in designs I've worked
on.  In both cases I've had to resort to floating the <h*> or <dt>
left, which has annoying side-effects.  A working display:run-in would
have helped out quite a bit here.

> A similar case could be made for dialog elements which are pretty much
> identical to definition list elements.
>
> Ex: |dt| runs into |dd|
>
> (I'm still at a bit of a loss as to why we need a separate group of dialog
> elements if they're virtually the same, but maybe they've been
> differentiated or removed since I checked the HTML 5 spec ages ago.)

<dialog> is basically there to make people stop asking if they can use
<dl> for dialog.  It also helps prevent semantic over-broadening, but
it's mostly there to give an answer to a common author question.

~TJ

Received on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 13:23:17 UTC