Re: [CSS21] WD 6.4.2, 4.1.7: meaning of "rule"

Peter,

The CSSWG resolved not to make these changes to the CSS 2.1 specification [1]. We will be 
reevaluating this issue for errata and future versions of CSS.

Please respond before 14 March, 2011 if you do not accept the current resolution.

[1] http://w3.org/TR/CSS

Original message: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2011Jan/0101.html
ISSUE-277: http://wiki.csswg.org/spec/css2.1#issue-277

From: Peter Moulder <peter.moulder@monash.edu> 
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:03:37 +0000
 To: www-style@w3.org 
Message-id: <20110108000337.GN21438@bowman.infotech.monash.edu.au> 

§4.1.7 starts with the statement

  # A rule set (also called "rule") consists of a selector followed by a
  # declaration block.

This gives the impression that "rule" should be interpreted as synonymous
with "rule set" [despite the impression given by the phrase "rule set",
which itself would imply that "rule" is synonymous with "declaration].

Meanwhile, §6.4 says

  # The CSS cascade assigns a weight to each style rule.  When several
  # rules apply, the one with the greatest weight takes precedence.

and uses phrases such as "!important rules".

We mustn't use the word "rule" to sometimes mean "declaration" and
sometimes mean "rule set", at least in statements liable to be read as
normative and where it makes a difference whether it's read as 
"declaration" or "rule set".  (For example, it would make a big 
difference if !important were taken to affect the whole rule set.)

I suggest changing cascade.html (in particular) to change most 
occurrences of "rule" to either "declaration" or "rule set".
(I say "most" just because there are some occurrences where it should be
obvious that it doesn't matter whether one reads it as "declaration" or
"rule set", so these are less important to change.)

pjrm.

Received on Friday, 11 March 2011 18:36:58 UTC