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Bug 21896 - Require non-empty URL for @cite, and let empty @cite (like empty @src) be without effect
Summary: Require non-empty URL for @cite, and let empty @cite (like empty @src) be wit...
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: HTML WG
Classification: Unclassified
Component: HTML5 spec (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Hardware: PC All
: P2 normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Robin Berjon
QA Contact: HTML WG Bugzilla archive list
URL: http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/...
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2013-05-01 21:38 UTC by Leif Halvard Silli
Modified: 2013-06-11 11:46 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:


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Description Leif Halvard Silli 2013-05-01 21:38:03 UTC
+++ A HTMLwg clone of the WHATwg Bug #21895 +++

(Initial) discussion:

http://lists.whatwg.org/pipermail/whatwg-whatwg.org/2013-May/039491.html

PROBLEM:

* The meaning of an empty citation link, is unclear.
* It also seems to have no use case.

PROPOSAL:

* Require non-empty URL for @cite attribute (of q, blockquote, ins, or del)
* Let empty @cite (like empty @src) be without effect

* Alternatively: Define clearly what the meaning of an empty @cite is and how it should be handled.

JUSTIFICTION:

* There is now a presedence for how HTML handles empty @src
* There seems to be no use case for empty @cite.
* For a use, or script, to follow an empty citation link, would only be confusing.

Btw, if possible, @cite and @longdesc ought to work the same way in these details. Thus let me mention that for longdesc then:

* implementations ignore @longdesc when empty. [1]
* proposal is that @longdesc spec blesses that behavior [1]

[1] https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=21778
Comment 1 Robin Berjon 2013-06-11 11:46:10 UTC
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: This is an Editor'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: none
Rationale:

This is already specified ("If the cite attribute is present, it must be a valid URL potentially surrounded by spaces. To obtain the corresponding citation link, the value of the attribute must be resolved relative to the element.").