[whatwg] Suggestion: Implementation of Tabbed Forms

[Ian Hickson]

On Sat, 3 Jul 2004, Lachlan Hunt wrote:
>
> 1. In wizard interfaces where the user must sequentially step through
>    each, usually with Next and Back buttons.
>    This could use something like <sequential> for the container.
> 
> eg.
> <sequential>
> 	<exclusive>...</exclusive>
> 	<exclusive>...</exclusive>
> </sequential>

That could make sense, except that some use cases -- e.g. an application 
which is largely state-based, like logging in to a game system, organising 
a game in the lobby, and then starting the actual game -- aren't going to 
be exactly sequential, you could go back and forth or even jump straight 
to other states out of order. (Logging out of a game, reconnecting to a 
game in progress, etc.)


> (my preference is for <exclusive>, rather than <mxsection>, simply 
> becuase I like actual words, rather than abbreviations where possible, 
> and when there's no benefit of either being shorter to type)

I agree with that, fwiw.


> 2. In options/properties dialogs, or other tabbed interfaces where the
>    user can view them in any order, usually with tabs or buttons.
>    This could use something like <concurrent> for the container.
> eg.
> <concurrent>
> 	<exclusive>...</exclusive>
> 	<exclusive>...</exclusive>
> </concurrent>
> 
> The element names could probably be better, expesially <concurrent>.  I 
> wanted an antonym for sequential, and that was the most appropriate I 
> could find with my limited research.

Tabs aren't mutually exclusive. You could quite legitimately degrade a 
tab-based UI into a fieldset-based UI. Indeed I think we should probably 
do that (as someone suggested on this list a while back).

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'