[WSG] em vs i
Hi, I recall some controversy surrounding when to use em and i, could someone clarify proper use? CK __ Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do. ---Bruce Lee ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help **
Re: [WSG] em vs i
Chris, I recall some controversy surrounding when to use em and i, could someone clarify proper use? Simply don't use i, because it is visual markup. Think about what you really want. Is it emphasis, use em, is it just something visual use span class=someclasstext/span. And try to give the class a semantic name, not italic. If one day you'd like to format this passage bold, just change the definition in your css. You don't have to make changes to your HTML-Code and the name of your css class will remain valid. Martin. ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help **
Re: [WSG] em vs i
I recall some controversy surrounding when to use em and i, could
someone clarify proper use?
Simply don't use i, because it is visual markup. Think about what
you really want. Is it emphasis, use em, is it just something visual
use span class=someclasstext/span. And try to give the class a
semantic name, not italic.
The counter-argument being that there is no semantic difference between
this:
span class=someclasstext/span
...and this:
i class=someclasstext/i
...and that if you are going to style someclass anyway, then they are
functionally the same except the second provides a default style when
CSS is inactive. In addition, if you do DOM scripting and want to
access your italic tags, getElementsByTagName('i') is likely faster
than getElementsByTagName('span'), though probably not by much.
Please note that this argument only holds when you want a semantically
empty vessel, for example when you are italicizing foreign words, book
titles, ship names, or other things that are typically italicized but
not emphasized. Each of these cases should have a different class, even
if they are all styled with italics. It is true that most times you
think of italics, you will want to use em.
The downside of this argument is that screen readers have adjusted to
the typical use if the i tag, and will emphasize text within it even
if you end up styling it otherwise.
There is a myth that i (and b, and big, etc.) are deprecated, but
they are currently in the XHTML 1.1 Presentation module, so this myth
is not true. However, they are in the *Presentation* module, which
gives a clue as to their semantic value.
http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml-modularization/
abstract_modules.html#s_presentationmodule
Hope this helps you make a decision.
--
Ben Curtis : webwright
bivia : a personal web studio
http://www.bivia.com
v: (818) 507-6613
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Re: [WSG] em vs i
Martin Heiden napisa(a): Simply don't use i, because it is visual markup. Think about what you really want. Is it emphasis, use em, is it just something visual use span class=someclasstext/span. And try to give the class a semantic name, not italic. Great, and left Lynx and CSS-off users alone. i is not depracated. b is not deprecated. Both have its meaning and purposes. span is perfectly rendered by all browsers but if you apply font-style: italic rule to the text you want to be italic when using Lynx I won't see anything. Even though you provided most semantic name in the whole universe. If one day you'd like to format this passage bold, just change the definition in your css. You don't have to make changes to your HTML-Code and the name of your css class will remain valid. I *use* i and b. CSS has nothing to do with it. -- ukasz Grabu, http://www.grabun.com/ ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help **
Re: [WSG] em vs i
Hi, Any reference on this? On Jun 14, 2005, at 9:53 AM, Ben Curtis wrote: for example when you are italicizing foreign words, book titles, ship names, or other things that are typically italicized but not emphasized. Also although I've googled I know from one or Russ' must reads a noted xhtml/css person wrote a blog entryem vsi and a few other semantic mark-up topics. this topic, does someone have a URL(URI)? ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help **
Re: [WSG] em vs i
Here's one of the best explanations of when to use b and i: http://mpt.net.nz/archive/2004/05/02/b-and-i On 6/15/05, Chris Kennon [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, Any reference on this? On Jun 14, 2005, at 9:53 AM, Ben Curtis wrote: for example when you are italicizing foreign words, book titles, ship names, or other things that are typically italicized but not emphasized. Also although I've googled I know from one or Russ' must reads a noted xhtml/css person wrote a blog entryem vsi and a few other semantic mark-up topics. this topic, does someone have a URL(URI)? ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help ** ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help **
Re: [WSG] em vs i
Lukasz Grabun wrote: Great, and left Lynx and CSS-off users alone. i is not depracated. b is not deprecated. Both have its meaning and purposes. span is perfectly rendered by all browsers but if you apply font-style: italic rule to the text you want to be italic when using Lynx I won't see anything. Again, it comes down to why the author wants a particular piece of text to be italic. Is it to provide emphasis? Use em. Is it to cite a particular text? Use cite. There are few situations (apart from the pure I want to give some visual interest ones) where an author wants italic just for the sake of it. In all other situations, there are probably more suitable, semantic/meaningful elements that describe *why* you're making something italic, and Lynx or browsers with CSS disabled will display (or, in the case of screenreaders and co, announce) them properly. -- Patrick H. Lauke _ redux (adj.): brought back; returned. used postpositively [latin : re-, re- + dux, leader; see duke.] www.splintered.co.uk | www.photographia.co.uk http://redux.deviantart.com ** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list getting help **
