Re: [css-shapes] basic shape syntax in prose

On Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 1:54 PM, Alan Stearns <stearns@adobe.com> wrote:
> On 9/27/13 1:19 PM, "Tab Atkins Jr." <jackalmage@gmail.com> wrote:
>>On Fri, Sep 27, 2013 at 1:06 PM, Alan Stearns <stearns@adobe.com> wrote:
>>> The normative grammar-based definition is not readable when precise, and
>>> not precise when readable. I think there's a false sense of accuracy in
>>> the format for functional notation, as we seem to be willing to fudge
>>> whitespace rules everywhere.
>>
>>What do you mean?
>
> This definition doesn't precisely define what's actually allowed in hsl():
>
> hsl() = hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage> )
>
> It's actually something more like:
>
> hsl() = hsl([ ]*<hue>[ ]*,[ ]*<percentage>[ ]*,[ ]*<percentage>[ ]*)

That's not being loose - the definition of the grammar explicitly says
that whitespace is allowed between any tokens.
<http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css-values/#component-whitespace>

> -inspired is the key. CSSWG additions and conventions are what trip people
> up.

They're still documented, and unambiguous, unlike prose.

~TJ