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Bug 7422 - Add definition of <a name>
Summary: Add definition of <a name>
Status: VERIFIED WORKSFORME
Alias: None
Product: HTML WG
Classification: Unclassified
Component: pre-LC1 HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson) (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Hardware: All All
: P2 normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Ian 'Hixie' Hickson
QA Contact: HTML WG Bugzilla archive list
URL: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/p...
Whiteboard:
Keywords: NE, NoReply
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2009-08-25 08:10 UTC by Sam Ruby
Modified: 2010-10-04 14:46 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:

Attachments

Description Sam Ruby 2009-08-25 08:10:20 UTC 
HTML5 neither lists <a name> as an obsolete feature, nor does it include a
definition. Arguably, all features from past HTML specs should have a
definition, even ones that are nonconforming and where UAs are not intended to
do anything with them.
Comment 1 Maciej Stachowiak 2009-08-25 08:16:54 UTC 
This bug doesn't look accurate to me, because the name attribute on a elements is in fact listed as an obsolete feature. Specifically, <a name> is obsolete but conforming when the value of the name attribute is non-empty, and obsolete and nonconforming when the value of the name attribute is empty. The spec also says:

"Authors should not specify the name attribute on a elements. If the attribute is present, its value must not be the empty string. In earlier versions of the language, this attribute served a similar role as the id attribute. The id attribute should be used instead."

Which describes the former purpose and the better choice to use now.
Comment 2 Sam Ruby 2009-08-25 08:19:58 UTC 
Correction: HTML5 lists <a name> as an obsolete feature without a definition.
Comment 3 Maciej Stachowiak 2009-08-25 08:22:34 UTC 
Isn't what I quoted above arguably a definition? If it's deficient as a definition, it would be good to know what's missing, or have an example of a better definition. For comparison, HTML4.01 has this definition for <a name>:

"This attribute names the current anchor so that it may be the destination of another link. The value of this attribute must be a unique anchor name. The scope of this name is the current document. Note that this attribute shares the same name space as the id attribute."
Comment 4 Sam Ruby 2009-08-25 10:15:22 UTC 
Marked as WORKSFORME.
Comment 5 Maciej Stachowiak 2010-03-14 14:50:06 UTC 
This bug predates the HTML Working Group Decision Policy.

If you are satisfied with the resolution of this bug, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If you have additional information and would like the editor to reconsider, please reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest title and text for the tracker issue; or you may create a tracker issue yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document:
  http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html

This bug is now being moved to VERIFIED. Please respond within two weeks. If this bug is not closed, reopened or escalated within two weeks, it may be marked as NoReply and will no longer be considered a pending comment.