[css3-values] reserved keywords and user-defined identifiers

Related to the scintillating font-family inherit discussion, the
current draft of CSS3 Values and Units includes this description of
CSS-wide keywords [1]:

  As defined above, all properties accept the ‘initial’ and
  ‘inherit’ keywords, which represent value computations common
  to all CSS properties.  The ‘inherit’ keyword is defined in
  [CSS21]. The ‘initial’ keyword represents the specified value
  that is designated as the property's initial value.

This doesn't include the reserved-for-future-use 'default' keyword (as
noted in the CSS 2.1 definition of font-family) and doesn't explicitly
state the invalidity of these reserved keywords in user-defined idents
or in unquoted font family names. Additionally, this doesn't clarify
whether the case sensitivity applies or not to these keywords (i.e. is
INHERIT allowed as a counter name?), since CSS is in general
case-insensitive but user-defined identifiers *are* case sensitive.

Proposed revised wording:

  As defined above, all properties accept the ‘initial’ and
  ‘inherit’ keywords, which represent value computations common
  to all CSS properties.  The ‘inherit’ keyword is defined in
  [CSS21]. The ‘initial’ keyword represents the specified value
  that is designated as the property's initial value.  The
  'default' keyword is reserved for future use.  Use of these
  reserved keywords, in any case, within user-defined identifiers
  such as counters or within unquoted font family names must be
  considered invalid.

With this revised wording, I think it will be easier to come up with
language in CSS3 Fonts that defines the rules for unquoted font family
names in a consistent way.

Regards,

John Daggett

Received on Tuesday, 8 May 2012 09:22:59 UTC