Re: Towards resolution of SVG 1.2 Flowing text

Dean Jackson wrote:
> On 3 Nov 2004, at 02:42, Robert O'Callahan wrote:
>> -- When users ask for additional flowing text features, such as floats 
>> and tables, will you add them to SVG 1.3?
> 
> Then you mentioned tables. There have been many requests for
> grid-based layout mechanisms in SVG (for graphics and text). It *may*
> be considered for a future version of SVG. However, IMO the primary use
> case would be laying out things like UIs (eg. toolbars), not really
> text (although it could be used that way). In preliminary discussion
> of this topic the most common suggestion has been to simply allow
> <html:table> in SVG. Adobe's most recent SVG release does this
> (within a <foreignObject>).

I second that. We discussed tables/grids many times, under pressing 
requests from our user base and with sound technical justifications 
derived from the fact that simple grids are not much beyond text flow. 
We have thus far rejected them on the grounds that HTML tables would 
work just fine, and I sure hope that either the CDF WG or the SVG WG 
will define good integration there. I don't recall floats ever being 
brought up, they sure are way out there.

Text flow is in because it's graphics, and because no one else had done it.

>> -- You say that SVG text is presentational and not semantic, but then 
>> why does flowPara exist?
> 
> I don't think it should. I'll be arguing that it should be removed.

It differentiates between runs of text that can contain others (flowDiv) 
and those that can't (flowPara). I never had a strong opinion on whether 
that's useful or not.

> The other slightly semantic element is <flowLine>. The problem here
> is that Ian's suggested alternative used CSS, which isn't required
> in any SVG implementation. Any ideas?

The problem is that ":after { content: '\A' }" isn't easily reusable 
without requiring full CSS support. If there were a property for this 
(eg line-break-after: always) we could put it on flowSpan. Ian, any 
thoughts?

-- 
Robin Berjon

Received on Tuesday, 2 November 2004 17:19:04 UTC