[whatwg] Web Forsm 2.0 possible omissions

[Ian Hickson]

On Wed, 21 Mar 2007, chris at bodar.com wrote:
>
> I've noticed two possible ommissions that seem to me to be essential to 
> a useful Web Forms spec:
> 
> 1) Input filtering (i.e. allow only numbers to be typed)
> suggested implementation (like pattern takes a regexp but behaves as if  inside: ^
> [ ]$
> <input type="text" filter="\d">

<input type="text" pattern="\D*">


> 2) Auto tabbing
> for a 4 digit code:
> <input type="text" filter="\d" autotab="4"/>

This appears to be a presentation concern, for which I think we should 
allow CSS and XBL to provide the solution.


On Wed, 21 Mar 2007, Martin Atkins wrote:
> 
> A more general request would be an ability to display one value but have 
> a different one behind the scenes. Obviously when the user edits it they 
> would expose the internal value, much like in an spreadsheet when you 
> switch a field containing a formula from view mode to edit mode.

Again, this seems like something for XBL.


On Wed, 21 Mar 2007, chris at bodar.com wrote:
>
> Re: This can be easily achieved with a simple script but I wonder if 
> it's desirable.
> 
> but the point of webforsm is to avoid scripts where possible (so it 
> works for high security peeps as well as accessibility peeps...), isn't 
> it?

No, the goal is only to make the common things possible without script, 
not make anything possible without script possible.


> as for desireable - well if WEb forms is part of the WEB API initiative 
> and both legacy applications (unix/dos based), contemporary applications 
> (key code fields in installation dialogs) and future apps (my next 
> project!! ;-)) I suspect it is both useful and desireable (if you've 
> ever been a data inputter you'll know what i mean. If you are 
> uncomfortable with 'autotabbing' then a trimmed down version might be 
> making a field with readonly elements e.g. 01/02/1945 as __/__/___ Still 
> autotabbing is a feature I have been asked to deliver about once ever 
> six months for the last 10 years (and using script have done so) I just 
> want to make it work for my banking friends who have scripts turned off 
> and who are ALWAYS using legacy style apps so get frustrated when clunk 
> web apps don't provide the facility (especially when hitting the right 
> arrow on a form element doesn' jump you to the next element.

I agree that it would be useful, the question is whether it's useful 
enough to warrant the expense of implementing it in browsers and testing 
it and speccing it and so forth. I'm guessing it probably isn't at the 
moment. Maybe in a future version?

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