[whatwg] <a href="" ping="">

[Ian Hickson]

On Fri, 21 Oct 2005, Charles Iliya Krempeaux wrote:
> 
> Is this proposal doing URI construction?  I.e., taking what's in "href" 
> and what's in "ping" and gluing them together?

Assuming by "this proposal" you mean the overall <a href ping> idea, it 
does not construct any URIs. It merely takes the URIs in the "ping" 
attribute and contacts each one, and replaces the current document with 
what's in the "href" attribute. The two aren't merged or anything.


> Or is it just "hitting" -- making an hidden HTTP GET request of each 
> token in the "ping" attibute?

Right. Hidden HTTP POST request, as it happens, but yes.


> I think the later would be more better.  (At least from the point of
> view of someone writing advertising software.)  So, I'd prefer
> something like:
> 
>     <a href="http://advertisers-site.dom/"
> ping="http://advertising-network.dom/ping-me
> http://publishers-site.dom/ping-me">click me</a>
> 
> So then when the user clicks on the link, the go to what's in the
> "href" -- to http://advertisers-site.dom/ .  But the user's browser
> also "pings" -- makes an hidden HTTP GET -request - of the 2 URI's:
> http://advertising-network.dom/ping-me and
> http://publishers-site.dom/ping-me .

That's exactly what is intended.

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