SVGT 1.2: requirements for pointer selection

"For systems which support pointer devices such as a mouse, the user  
agent is required to provide a mechanism for selecting text even when  
the given text has associated event handlers or links, which might  
block text selection due to event processing precedence rules (see  
Pointer events). One implementation option: For platforms which  
support a pointer device such as a mouse, the user agent may provide  
for a small additional region around character cells which initiates  
text selection operations but does not initiate event handlers or  
links."

I do not think this is a reasonable or implementable requirement:

1) HTML UAs do not behave this way - they allow selection starting  
before or after a link, but not in the middle; and they often assign  
a different behavior to dragging starting inside a link (it generally  
initiates a link drag). It would be bad for text links in SVG to  
behave differently.

2) Using event handlers (with default prevented) to prevent text  
selection is a feature provided to content authors.

3) Where is the suggested extra space to go? Suppose you have:

<a xlink:href="http://www.example.com">
<textArea>
first line of text
second line of text
third line of text
</textArea>
</a>

Suppose the lines happen to break exactly as written. Where is the  
space that would allow selection of the word "line" on the second  
line of text? The <a> element is supposed to apply to the entire  
textArea, it seems disallowed by the spec and furthermore confusing  
that clicking or dragging the link in some places would not actually  
have the link behavior.

Regards,
Maciej

Received on Thursday, 29 December 2005 05:14:51 UTC