<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; ">Many times I've set SELECT.selectedIndex to -1 to have the effect of an invalid starter value; I think this is a case where the REQUIRED attribute would make sense. If a SELECT has a REQUIRED attribute, and SELECT.selectedIndex == -1, then the control would be considered invalid.<div>
<br></div><div>It would also seem to be beneficial to have some non-scripting means of setting SELECT.selectedIndex to -1. Perhaps an "UNSELECTED" boolean attribute, as in <select unselected></div><div><br>
</div><div>Weston</div><div><br></div></span><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 5:31 AM, Ian Hickson <span dir="ltr"><ian@hixie.ch></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
On Mon, 2 Oct 2006, Simon Pieters wrote:<br>
><br>
> The required="" attribute doesn't apply to <select>s in the current<br>
> draft of WF2. As an author I'd expect it to apply to <select>.<br>
><br>
> I've seen a case where a <select> is used and the user is required to<br>
> change its value, as in:<br>
><br>
> <select name="test" required><br>
> <option value="">Select one:<br>
> <option>Foo<br>
> <option>Bar<br>
> </select><br>
><br>
> Now this can be done with radio buttons instead, but why can't the above<br>
> be supported? That is, make required apply to <select>s and if the value<br>
> is empty then required is not satisfied. (Same for <select multiple>.)<br>
><br>
> (I realise that radio buttons and checkboxes satisfy required even if<br>
> the value is empty.)<br>
<br>
On Wed, 4 Oct 2006, Robert wrote:<br>
><br>
> Submitting an empty value may be wanted, and since a select by<br>
> definition is a list of predefined valid values, it would make little<br>
> sense to prevent the user from selecting some of them. However, I agree<br>
> with the use case of the invalid starter value so users must consciously<br>
> select a value they wanted instead of the default one.<br>
<br>
This use case is definitely something we want to consider, but I don't<br>
think it's about required="". It's about an option in the <select> being a<br>
non-option (as it were). <select> by definition can't have nothing<br>
selected. That's what it means.<br>
<br>
The issue about a placeholder value is listed as an open issue in the<br>
spec, and will probably be addressed at some future point.<br>
<br>
I hope this addresses your comments satisfactorily.<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<font color="#888888">--<br>
Ian Hickson U+1047E )\._.,--....,'``. fL<br>
<a href="http://ln.hixie.ch/" target="_blank">http://ln.hixie.ch/</a> U+263A /, _.. \ _\ ;`._ ,.<br>
Things that are impossible just take longer. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'<br>
</font></blockquote></div><br>