[whatwg] <link rel=icon width=

[Ernest Cline]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Maciej Stachowiak <mjs at apple.com>
>Sent: May 1, 2008 9:34 PM
>To: Maciej Stachowiak <mjs at apple.com>
>Cc: whatwg at whatwg.org, Ian Hickson <ian at hixie.ch>
>Subject: Re: [whatwg] <link rel=icon width="" height="">
>
>
>On Apr 29, 2008, at 10:13 PM, Maciej Stachowiak wrote:
>
>>
>> I would suggest a sizes attribute which can take a list of sizes  
>> (with x as a width/height separator), or a keyword such as "any" or  
>> "scalable" to indicate a scalable format suitable for any size.
>>
>> <link rel="icon" type="application/svg" sizes="any" href="whatwg.svg">
>> <link rel="icon" type="image/microsoft.vnd.icon" sizes="16x16 32x32"  
>> href="whatwg.ico">
>> <link rel="icon" type="image/x-apple-icons" sizes="16x16 32x32 64x64  
>> 128x128 256x256 512x512" href="whatwg.icns">
>> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="59x60" href="whatwg.png">
>>
>
>OK, I'm sure the last thing that is needed is more syntax suggestions,  
>but here's an alternate proposal with no new attributes, specify size  
>info as additional rel keywords:
>
><link rel="icon scalable" type="application/svg" href="whatwg.svg">
><link rel="icon 16x16 32x32" type="image/microsoft.vnd.icon"  
>href="whatwg.ico">
><link rel="icon 16x16 32x32 64x64 128x128 256x256 512x512" type="image/ 
>x-apple-icons" href="whatwg.icns">
><link rel="icon 59x60" type="image/png" href="whatwg.png">
>
>This would however effectively define an open-ended set of rel values,  
>and also it is dubious whether a size can be considered a relationship.
>
>Regards,
>Maciej
>


If this approach is taken, rather than preempt any possible use of size related values for icons, how about:

<link rel="icon" type="application/svg" href="whatwg.svg">
<link rel="icon icon-16 icon-32" type="image/microsoft.vnd.icon" href="whatwg.ico">
<link rel="icon icon-16 icon-32 icon-64 icon-128 icon-256 icon-512" type="image/x-apple-icons" href="whatwg.icns">
<link rel="icon icon-59x60" type="image/png" href="whatwg.png">

Using "icon-*" to indicate square icons and "icon-*-*" to indicate non-square icons would give a specific relationship of it being an icon a specific size for a particular rel value and not be quite so open ended.  Scalability is already indicated by the type attribute and could be left to be implied by the use of just plain "icon" without any of the more specific markers.  The use of the plain icon keyword on the ones with specific sizes indicated would only be needed for backward compatability with UAs that don't understand the extended forms proposed here.