SamB: SamB moved page User:Matthew Raymond:altinput element to User:Matthew Raymond/altinput element: Make actual subpage

2014-03-07T17:38:45Z

SamB moved page User:Matthew Raymond:altinput element to User:Matthew Raymond/altinput element: Make actual subpage

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Michel Fortin: Reverted edits by Apeloverage (Talk); changed back to last version by Matthew Raymond

2006-11-29T14:31:51Z

Reverted edits by Apeloverage (Talk); changed back to last version by Matthew Raymond

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Apeloverage at 00:17, 29 November 2006

2006-11-29T00:17:40Z

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Matthew Raymond: New altinput element.

2005-07-06T01:17:46Z

New altinput element.

New page

The <altinput> element is intended to be a possible alternative to my earlier [[User:Matthew_Raymond:dataentry_element|<dataentry>]] element.

The <altinput> element is a way of accomplishing the same goals as <dataentry> while ensuring that the size of a form's elements collection and the position of controls within it doesn't change between legacy and WF2 browsers. Rather than the element itself being a form control, <altinput> instead performs the following:

* If it has a control with an |id| attribute equal to its |for| attribute, then it attempts to assign its own |type| attribute value to the |type| of the specified control.
* If the |type| is not supported, then the <altinput> acts as nothing more than a <span>.
* However, if the |type| is supported, the control has its |type| changed and the entire contents of the <altinput> element, with the exception of specified control, are not be rendered.

The result is that, in most cases, <altinput> acts almost exactly like <dataentry>.

==Examples==

Here's a simple example for the three <select> scenario:

<altinput for="d1" type="date" value="2005-02-09">
<input type="hidden" id="d1" name="d1" />
<select name="d1_day"></select> /
<select name="d1_month"></select> /
<select name="d1_year"></select>
</altinput>

Here's an example for users of jscalendar:

<altinput for="sel1" type="date">
<input type="text" id="sel1" name="date1" size="30" />
<input type="reset" value=" ... " onclick="return showCalendar('sel1', '%Y-%m-%d');">
YYYY-MM-DD
</altinput>

==Pros==

# The size of a form's elements collection in Javascript never changes.
# The <altinput> element can allow for a far greater range of legacy fallback than <input> alone.
# Because the |type| is defined in an attribute, <altinput> can be used for input types in later specifications, or for vendor-specific input types.
# Because the elemnt requires a child form control, it encourages the use of <input> alone in simple cases where legacy fallback needs are minimal.
# The element is designed only to prevent the presentation of its child elements. It does not require user agents to delete contents from the DOM or suppress Javascript execution.

==Cons==

# It's slightly more complicated to use than <dataentry>.
# In some situations, you must use a hidden <input> control as the target of the <altinput> element's |for| attribute.
# It may still inherit some minor issues from <dataentry>.

User:Matthew Raymond/altinput element - Revision history

SamB: SamB moved page User:Matthew Raymond:altinput element to User:Matthew Raymond/altinput element: Make actual subpage

Michel Fortin: Reverted edits by Apeloverage (Talk); changed back to last version by Matthew Raymond

Apeloverage at 00:17, 29 November 2006

Matthew Raymond: New altinput element.