SGML attributes, attribute specifications, and accurate phrasing

Grant Husbands wrote to the W3C Markup-Validator list 
<mailto:www-validator@w3.org> on 12 April 2005 in “Re: Margin attributes 
not accepted by XHTML 1.0 & impossible to validate   CSS” 
(<mid:425B9228.8010708@grant.x43.net>, 
<http://www.w3.org/mid/425B9228.8010708@grant.x43.net>):

> The attributes are within the body start-tag, which could reasonably be 
> described as the <body> tag [...]

The attributes are not within the start-tag. Attributes are abstractions 
while start-tags are encoded strings of characters. It is the attribute 
specification list that is within the start-tag.

> If a completely unambiguous phrasing is required, "within the body 
> start-tag" or "of the body element" are most advisible [...]

The latter phrasing is advisable, but the phrasing preceding it is 
incorrect, as per the foregoing explanation.

-- 
Etan Wexler.

Received on Saturday, 9 July 2005 20:37:41 UTC