Comments on: Why browsers treat HTML5 elements as inline

By: Scott Plumlee

Scott Plumlee — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:21:07 +0000

Thanks for the response Bruce. That’s the link I needed to understand how they set what was allowed in what. I’m going to have to read about content models in HTML5 and I’ll be back with more questions, I’m sure. You and the other doctors are a great resource.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:09:48 +0000

Hi Scott

HTML4 defined some elements as block and some as inline, so the validators used those defintions http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/global.html#h-7.5.3

HTML5 doesn’t use that terminology as that implies some form of presentation and, of course, presentation and semantics are different beasts.

By: Scott Plumlee

Scott Plumlee — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:38:04 +0000

This brings up a question I’ve wondered about for a while. If the display of an element is inline by default, how do validators decide that something is valid or not valid if the spec states that an element may only contain block or inline content? For instance, a

element may only have inline content inside it (http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/lists.html#h-10.3). It seems that the validation of an HMTL document is then dependent on the display property of the element, rather than something intrinsic to the element itself. Do the validators contain their own internal stylesheet rules, or do they have some other set of rules that say these items are block, these are inline?

By: Andrew Yates

Andrew Yates — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:48:12 +0000

Thank you Bruce for your HTML5 posts and articles in various places across the web. I have to say you are the biggest driving force in me changing my site and making it HTML5.

Was nice to take the plunge and get it out there. Especially as I started it as “messing around” then deciding it was better than my old theme.

Keep up the good work.

Andy

By: bruce

bruce — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:35:25 +0000

You’re right, of course, David for the more sophisticated elements. But using -say- mark as an example, all the browser needs to know is how to style it.

A browser may decide to do something sexy with mark, of course – like add each mark to a list in a sidebar.

By: Andy Mabbett

Andy Mabbett — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:59:12 +0000

Mmmm, cheesecake…