On 22 Jun 2008, at 21:22, Edward Z. Yang wrote:
To represent a block of computer code, the pre element can be used
with a code element; to represent a block of computer output the pre
element can be used with a samp element. Similarly, the kbd element
can be used within a pre element to indicate text that the user is to
enter.
The implication is that document authors are recommended to use
<pre><code> to wrap all of their programming code instead of a lone
<pre>, if they wish to be fully semantic. This feels needlessly
verbose
and abusive of <code>, which traditionally has been used to mark
single-liners.
Well, that tradition is wrong under HTML 4.01 (pre "tells visual user
agents that the enclosed text is 'preformatted'", whereas code
'designates a fragment of computer code').
It also makes it extremely difficult to style pre as a block for code,
as the only semantic indication that the contents of the pre block are
computer code is its child. You'd end up having to say <pre
class="code"><code> if you wanted to style pre as well.
There are lots of thing that are semantically desirable in HTML that
can't be fulfilled using pre-existing CSS selectors. Continuing to
style "pre" is no less ambiguous and risky as it was under what the
traditional behaviour is.
At the same time, I still think the semantics of whether or not a
<pre>
tag indicates a plaintext file, or a piece of ASCII art, or computer
code, is somewhat important. However, I think this information would
be
more appropriately given as an attribute.
Why go against what HTML 4.01 does? It seems needless to change.
--
Geoffrey Sneddon
<http://gsnedders.com/>
