Re: [selectors-nonelement] ::attr(*|localname), ::attr(ns|*), and ::attr(*)

On 27.2.2014 18:26, Tab Atkins Jr. wrote:
>> But as there is already inconsistency between type selectors ("E"
>> selects E elements in any namespace) and attribute selectors ("[A]"
>> matches elements that have A attribute in no namespace)
> 
> That's due to default namespaces, not anything fundamental.  It's also
> not an *internal* inconcistency - "E" and "*" both select using the
> default namespace in type selectors, while attribute selectors don't
> have a "*" at all, and so can't be inconsistent internally.

But if there is no default namespace in CSS, then namespace treatment of
"E" and "[A]" is very different.

>> I don't think
>> that special treatment of "*" as wildcard in ::attr(*) will do any harm.
>> After all this behaviour can be brought back to attribute selectors --
>> "[*]" will match element that has at least one attribute.
> 
> If attribute selectors allowed "[*]", it would match an element with
> at least one attribute *in the null namespace* (to be consistent with
> the behavior of plain attribute names).  You'd have to write [*|*] to
> select an element with any attribute whatsoever.

Although I can follow you reasoning, I don't consider such behaviour of
* really useful and logical. Probably due to my 15 years experience with
XPath. :-)

If you really think that having ::attr(*) for all attributes will result
in dead kittens, let's move on and have ::attr() for choosing all
attributes.

    Jirka

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