Re: [css3-images] Remove all references to out-of-document elements and CSSElementMap?

On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 2:18 PM, Tab Atkins Jr. <jackalmage@gmail.com>wrote:

> 1. Some people don't like having id selectors refer to out-of-document
> elements, as it's inconsistent with how the same selector would work
> in other contexts.
>

In the original proposal this wasn't a problem since it wasn't an ID
selector per se, just a name that could be resolved using the dedicated
element map or falling back to the id map.

My proposal is to drop all references to this ability for now, and
> resolve these issues either in Images 4 or another spec like CSSOM.
> I'd remove all references to out-of-document elements from the spec.
> This still leaves in useful abilities, like the ability to use a
> non-rendered element; it would just require putting the element into
> the document and giving it display:none.
>

Actually this does remove some power: now you can only render elements in
the same document. Previously you could render elements in other documents,
which has some use-cases, e.g. rendering the contents of IFRAMEs without
clipping to the IFRAME element to make live thumbnails of Web pages.
(Perhaps more useful in browser extensions than on the public Web.)

Rob
-- 
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. ... If you love those
who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors
doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more
than others?" [Matthew 5:43-47]