[uf-discuss] <object> (in include-pattern) and user-agents

[Sarven Capadisli]

Based on this conversation:

http://krijnhoetmer.nl/irc-logs/whatwg/20080617#l-444

<object data="#foo" class="include" type="text/html"></object>

will embed (making a separate request) all of the content from the
current document, meanwhile pointing to the identifier.

The issue here:
http://microformats.org/wiki/include-pattern-feedback#Objects_and_Browser_Behavior

is actually the proper way <object> is supposed to be handled by the
user-agents. (Safari 3/Win, it turns out, is treating the <object>
element properly.)

I do wonder if <object> is semantically accurate for the use of
include-pattern. Part of me is thinking that <object> was originally
used partially because it didn't display the current document on
non-Safari browsers.

http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/objects.html#h-13.3 states:
"Most user agents have built-in mechanisms for rendering common data
types such as text, GIF images, colors, fonts, and a handful of
graphic elements. To render data types they don't support natively,
user agents generally run external applications. The OBJECT element
allows authors to control whether data should be rendered externally
or by some program, specified by the author, that renders the data
within the user agent."

The key being "to render data types" the user-agents "don't support
natively" can be handled with <object> by running an external
application. In the case of the include-pattern, we are merely trying
to "include" or "refer" to some text/html. The latter is done
sufficiently with <a>.

Got thoughts?

Sarven Capadisli
http://www.csarven.ca