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<!DOCTYPE bugzilla SYSTEM "https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/page.cgi?id=bugzilla.dtd">

<bugzilla version="5.0.4"
          urlbase="https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/"
          
          maintainer="sysbot+bugzilla@w3.org"
>

    <bug>
          <bug_id>8118</bug_id>
          
          <creation_ts>2009-10-28 19:18:18 +0000</creation_ts>
          <short_desc>Remove the Hidden Attribute</short_desc>
          <delta_ts>2010-10-04 14:49:40 +0000</delta_ts>
          <reporter_accessible>1</reporter_accessible>
          <cclist_accessible>1</cclist_accessible>
          <classification_id>1</classification_id>
          <classification>Unclassified</classification>
          <product>HTML WG</product>
          <component>pre-LC1 HTML5 spec (editor: Ian Hickson)</component>
          <version>unspecified</version>
          <rep_platform>Macintosh</rep_platform>
          <op_sys>Mac System 9.x</op_sys>
          <bug_status>CLOSED</bug_status>
          <resolution>WONTFIX</resolution>
          
          
          <bug_file_loc></bug_file_loc>
          <status_whiteboard></status_whiteboard>
          <keywords>a11y, NE, TrackerIssue, WGDecision</keywords>
          <priority>P3</priority>
          <bug_severity>normal</bug_severity>
          <target_milestone>FPWD</target_milestone>
          
          
          <everconfirmed>1</everconfirmed>
          <reporter name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</reporter>
          <assigned_to name="Ian &apos;Hixie&apos; Hickson">ian</assigned_to>
          <cc>ian</cc>
    
    <cc>jonas</cc>
    
    <cc>joshue.oconnor</cc>
    
    <cc>laura.lee.carlson</cc>
    
    <cc>mike</cc>
    
    <cc>mjs</cc>
    
    <cc>public-html-admin</cc>
    
    <cc>public-html-wg-issue-tracking</cc>
    
    <cc>shelleyp</cc>
          
          <qa_contact name="HTML WG Bugzilla archive list">public-html-bugzilla</qa_contact>

      

      

      

          <comment_sort_order>oldest_to_newest</comment_sort_order>  
          <long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>29182</commentid>
    <comment_count>0</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2009-10-28 19:18:18 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>Remove section 7.1 which describes a hidden boolean attribute. 

The ability to hide or display elements is adequately covered with CSS, via both the visible and the display properties. The hidden attribute is completely redundant, and violates the standard of separating presentation from the contents.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30386</commentid>
    <comment_count>1</comment_count>
    <who name="Maciej Stachowiak">mjs</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-04 14:44:43 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>The hidden attribute applies to things that are currently not relevant at a semantic, not just presentational level. In that respect it is similar to aria-hidden, but it has the obvious presentational effect in addition.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30392</commentid>
    <comment_count>2</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-04 20:27:15 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #1)
&gt; The hidden attribute applies to things that are currently not relevant at a
&gt; semantic, not just presentational level. In that respect it is similar to
&gt; aria-hidden, but it has the obvious presentational effect in addition.
&gt; 

CSS can manage presentation, and aria-hidden can manage accessibility. The attribute is redundant. </thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30393</commentid>
    <comment_count>3</comment_count>
    <who name="Maciej Stachowiak">mjs</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-04 20:36:25 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #2)
&gt; (In reply to comment #1)
&gt; &gt; The hidden attribute applies to things that are currently not relevant at a
&gt; &gt; semantic, not just presentational level. In that respect it is similar to
&gt; &gt; aria-hidden, but it has the obvious presentational effect in addition.
&gt; &gt; 
&gt; 
&gt; CSS can manage presentation, and aria-hidden can manage accessibility. The
&gt; attribute is redundant. 
&gt; 

That&apos;s assuming semantics doesn&apos;t matter, and that saying two things is just as good as saying one thing. When a particular semantic, presentation and accessibility behavior all go together, it&apos;s useful to have a single construct to take care of all aspects.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30396</commentid>
    <comment_count>4</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-04 21:06:57 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #3)
&gt; (In reply to comment #2)
&gt; &gt; (In reply to comment #1)
&gt; &gt; &gt; The hidden attribute applies to things that are currently not relevant at a
&gt; &gt; &gt; semantic, not just presentational level. In that respect it is similar to
&gt; &gt; &gt; aria-hidden, but it has the obvious presentational effect in addition.
&gt; &gt; &gt; 
&gt; &gt; 
&gt; &gt; CSS can manage presentation, and aria-hidden can manage accessibility. The
&gt; &gt; attribute is redundant. 
&gt; &gt; 
&gt; 
&gt; That&apos;s assuming semantics doesn&apos;t matter, and that saying two things is just as
&gt; good as saying one thing. When a particular semantic, presentation and
&gt; accessibility behavior all go together, it&apos;s useful to have a single construct
&gt; to take care of all aspects.
&gt; 

There is nothing semantically relevant in the discussion for the hidden attribute. </thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30787</commentid>
    <comment_count>5</comment_count>
    <who name="Jonas Sicking (Not reading bugmail)">jonas</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-08 20:16:42 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>This does not appear to be the case. The &quot;The hidden attribute&quot; section in the spec says:

When specified on an element, it indicates that the element is not yet, or is no longer, relevant.

Which seems to define a semantic meaning.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30795</commentid>
    <comment_count>6</comment_count>
    <who name="Ian &apos;Hixie&apos; Hickson">ian</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-09 00:03:41 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;s Response to your comment. If you are satisfied with this response, 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

Status: Accepted
Change Description: no spec change
Rationale: The hidden=&quot;&quot; attribute is no longer in the vocabulary spec, it&apos;s now only defined in the split-out spec with the user interaction stuff.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30796</commentid>
    <comment_count>7</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-09 00:30:38 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #6)
&gt; EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;s Response to your comment. If you are
&gt; satisfied with this response, please change the state of this bug to CLOSED. If
&gt; you have additional information and would like the editor to reconsider, please
&gt; reopen this bug. If you would like to escalate the issue to the full HTML
&gt; Working Group, please add the TrackerRequest keyword to this bug, and suggest
&gt; title and text for the tracker issue; or you may create a tracker issue
&gt; yourself, if you are able to do so. For more details, see this document:
&gt;    http://dev.w3.org/html5/decision-policy/decision-policy.html
&gt; 
&gt; Status: Accepted
&gt; Change Description: no spec change
&gt; Rationale: The hidden=&quot;&quot; attribute is no longer in the vocabulary spec, it&apos;s
&gt; now only defined in the split-out spec with the user interaction stuff.
&gt; 

I checked the HTML 5 specification here at the W3C. Link http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/Overview.html#the-hidden-attribute. 

Are you saying this section is no longer part of the spec?</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30812</commentid>
    <comment_count>8</comment_count>
    <who name="Ian &apos;Hixie&apos; Hickson">ian</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-09 11:28:23 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(reopening since an unrelated change undid this one)</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30815</commentid>
    <comment_count>9</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-09 15:46:36 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #8)
&gt; (reopening since an unrelated change undid this one)
&gt; 

Is this open or closed? 

I asked that this item be removed. Such a removal does necessitate ripping apart HTML5.
</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30821</commentid>
    <comment_count>10</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-09 21:23:20 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>(In reply to comment #9)
&gt; (In reply to comment #8)
&gt; &gt; (reopening since an unrelated change undid this one)
&gt; &gt; 
&gt; 
&gt; Is this open or closed? 
&gt; 
&gt; I asked that this item be removed. Such a removal does necessitate ripping
&gt; apart HTML5.
&gt; 

Sorry, typo. 

Removing/deleting/discarding this attribute does _not_ necessitate ripping apart HTML5.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30887</commentid>
    <comment_count>11</comment_count>
    <who name="Ian &apos;Hixie&apos; Hickson">ian</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-11 10:10:50 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>EDITOR&apos;S RESPONSE: This is an Editor&apos;s Response to your comment. If you are satisfied with this response, 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

Status: Rejected
Change Description: no spec change
Rationale: hidden=&quot;&quot; is a key part of HTML5&apos;s accessibility story and represents one of the main accessibility improvements over HTML4 for dynamic applications.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30926</commentid>
    <comment_count>12</comment_count>
    <who name="Shelley Powers">shelleyp</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-11 15:37:36 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>Created as Tracker Issue 95

http://www.w3.org/html/wg/tracker/issues/95</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>30935</commentid>
    <comment_count>13</comment_count>
    <who name="Joshue O Connor">joshue.oconnor</who>
    <bug_when>2010-01-11 19:29:17 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>I am a little confused by this one. Firstly, Shelly&apos;s issue with @hidden seemed to be accepted and then rejected? I am still a little in the dark as to the usefulness of the attribute either way. 

FWIW I don&apos;t think it has a semantic meaning at all - but it /may/ have a certain useful that does strike me as being of a presentational nature - but again that would have to be demonstrated. I don&apos;t see how it is an improvement on HTML 4 and the @hidden seems to duplicate what can already be done with CSS.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>31802</commentid>
    <comment_count>14</comment_count>
    <who name="Michael Cooper">cooper</who>
    <bug_when>2010-02-11 17:26:26 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>Per the proposal at http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html-a11y/2010Jan/0245.html, the HTML A11Y TF does not plan to formally work on this issue at this time. This does not mean the TF has no interest in it, but does not have immediate plans to work on it. The TF may review the issue in the future.</thetext>
  </long_desc><long_desc isprivate="0" >
    <commentid>37032</commentid>
    <comment_count>15</comment_count>
    <who name="Maciej Stachowiak">mjs</who>
    <bug_when>2010-07-21 02:06:26 +0000</bug_when>
    <thetext>The HTML WG has published a decision affirming the editor&apos;s resolution - the hidden attribute will not be removed.</thetext>
  </long_desc>
      
      

    </bug>

</bugzilla>