[uf-discuss] input microformats for auto-filling forms

[Stephen Paul Weber]

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Somebody claiming to be Tantek Çelik wrote:
>On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 12:49, Stephen Paul Weber
><singpolyma at singpolyma.net> wrote:
>> Somebody claiming to be Glenn Jones wrote:
>>>http://microformats.org/wiki/hcard-input-brainstorming
>>
>> As I understand it, µformats are about defining
>> vocabularies and how those vocabularies can be best encoded using existing
>> HTML semantics.  Restricting to class and rel is short-sighted.
>
>microformats are both about a scientific process for researching and
>defining vocabularies, AND the simplest/easiest/most-robust syntax for 
>using those vocabularies.
>
>To date experience has shown that class and rel microformats make the
>most sense.

In general I would agree that is true.  class and rel have very nice 
semantics that fit with most of what has been attempted with µformats so 
far.  I'm just saying there's a difference between "most-robust syntax" and 
"never anything but class and rel"

For example, XOXO is a µformat (albeit a very simple one) that does not make 
extensive use of class or rel, also XMDP

>> using name="fn" is more
>> semantically correct if what you want to do is autofill or similar.
>> name="fn" also has the advantage of already doing a lot for you in terms of
>> autofill in most major browsers (who key off the name attribute for their
>> autofill).
>
>However, the challenge is that the name attribute can only accept a
>*single* value (similar to "id").

That's a good point.  Are there common cases where a form input is usefully 
multiple attributes?  (A real question, I honestly don't know if that's 
common).

>Thus it makes sense to prefer (restrict if you will) our use and
>recommendation of microformats to "class" and "rel", rather than
>forcing authors to pick one value for "name".

While this seems somewhat reasonable, as suggested on the wiki page we are 
discussin there are still 2 problems with the suggested use of classnames:

1) Does nothing useful under existing UAs (whereas name would make good 
	autocomplete work).
2) Breaks parser expectations (a parser will see the hCard classes, for 
	example, and try to parse an hCard.  So parsers will get blank or
	filled-with-placeholder hCards from form pages).

- -- 
Stephen Paul Weber, @singpolyma
See <http://singpolyma.net> for how I prefer to be contacted
edition right joseph
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