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User:Matthew Raymond/dataentry element: Difference between revisions

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The <dataentry> element is just like <input>, with three exceptions:
The
 
* It doesn't have the depreciated attributes.
* It has no |alt| attribute, but instead contains alternative contents as child nodes for legacy support.
* It requires a closing tag ("</dataentry>").
* It must contain at least one form control. If </dataentry> has a defined |name| attribute, then it must contain at least one form control with a defined |name| attribute.
 
==Examples==
 
Here's a simple example for the three <select> scenario:
 
<dataentry type="date" id="d1" name="d1" value="2005-02-09">
  <select name="d1_day"><!-- Options --></select> /
  <select name="d1_month"><!-- Options --></select> /
  <select name="d1_year"><!-- Options --></select>
</dataentry>
 
Here's an example for users of jscalendar:
 
<dataentry type="date" id="sel1_WF2" name="date1">
  <input type="text" id="sel1" name="date1" size="30">
  <input type="reset" value=" ... " onclick="return showCalendar('sel1', '%Y-%m-%d');">
  YYYY-MM-DD
</dataentry>
 
==Pros==
 
# The <dataentry> element can allow for a far greater range of legacy fallback than <input>.
# Because the |type| is defined in an attribute, <dataentry> can be used for input types in later specifications, or for vendor-specific input types.
# The element is designed in both semantics and structure to encourages the use of <input> 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.
# Because it has the same attributes as <input>, there's nothing new to learn except the inclusion of fallback content.
 
==Cons==
 
# The size of a form's elements collection in Javascript may differ between user agents.
# There may be legacy Javascript issues that cause script failure when generating unrecognized elements.
# When creating an <dataentry> element, you should be able to test for the correct element type by checking to see if it has a .type property, but I can't be 100% certain.
# Some unneeded Javascript overhead on WF2 clients.
# CSS styling for <dataentry> can't be done directly because user agents that support unrecognized elements may use the styling instead of ignoring the <dataentry> as intended.
 
==Solutions For Cons==
 
# A simple method could be added to the DOM that would set whether a form control is include in the .elements collection. A function could then be run when the page loads to hide the <dataentry> elements from the collection.
# This is a general issue affecting all new elements we introduce.
# May not be an issue, but I'd like to hear from an expert.
# Ian seems to feel this is a non-issue, so I won't argue with him.
# I'm considering a pseudo-class (":controltype()" or ":dom(attr, val)"?) that should allow a web author to style <dataentry type="controltype"> when the control type is supported. I'm still working on this concept, though, and I'm wondering if a more general and more powerful pseudo-class can't be developed.
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Revision as of 08:28, 2 July 2007

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