Clarification on percentage values for width/height

Heya SVG!

The current notes for SVG 1.1SE include some text that was in SVG 1.2
and was requested to be backported, concerning the meaning of
percentage values in width/height on the root <svg> element:
<http://dev.w3.org/SVG/profiles/1.1F2/master/coords.html#IntrinsicSizing>

While this text does make it reasonably clear that an SVG image with
percentage values for width/height doesn't have intrinsic dimensions,
it doesn't sufficiently define what effect the percentage values *do*
have; it merely says that " they indicate the portion of the viewport
that is actually covered by image data.".

Based on discussion with Doug, it appears that the intended effect is
that percentage values don't give the initial viewport/image intrinsic
dimensions, but they do specify the size of the <svg> element *within*
that viewport in the obvious way.

Could this text be updated (and integrated into a proper SVG draft) to
specify this behavior more precisely?  Right now, percentage values on
the root's width/height regularly confuse authors and implementors
alike.

~TJ

Received on Friday, 25 February 2011 23:07:07 UTC