box tree terminology

• From: fantasai <fantasai.lists@inkedblade.net>
• Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:44:19 -0700
• To: "www-style@w3.org" <www-style@w3.org>
• Message-ID: <4D929903.8080505@inkedblade.net>

We have three concepts in CSS that are used sometimes-interchangeably in CSS2.1.
They need distinct terminology, but I haven't been able to come up with a good
set. They are:

   element
     Either a source document element or a pseudo-element.

   rendering tree thing
     This is often referred to as a "box". Except for display: none elements,
     which have none, and display: list-item elements, which have two, there
     is only one "thing" per source document element.

   box layout thing
     This is also referred to as a "box". A "rendering tree thing" can have one
     or more "box layout things": inline rendering tree things get split into
     multiple box layout things during line breaking, and other rendering tree
     things can split into multiple box layout things due to pagination.

Suggestions?

~fantasai

Received on Wednesday, 30 March 2011 02:44:55 UTC