CORRECTIONS and suggestions for November 16 draft

Paul Burchard (burchard@horizon.math.utah.edu)
Wed, 16 Nov 94 20:09:23 EST

In section 2.1.6:

> The type attribute can define these field types:
> CHECKBOX, HIDDEN, IMAGE, RADIO, RESET, SUBMIT, TEXT.

The PASSWORD type is missing from this list.

> <FORM METHOD="POST" action="http://www.hal.com/sample">
> <P>Your name: <INPUT NAME="name" SIZE="48">
> <P>Male <INPUT NAME="male" TYPE=RADIO>
> <P>Female <INPUT NAME="female" TYPE=radio>
> </FORM>

This example is neither logical nor correct: "male" and "female"
should be mutually exclusive options, and RADIO inputs require
explicit VALUEs (although this isn't enforced by the DTD). I think
what you want is

<P>Male <INPUT NAME="gender" TYPE=radio VALUE="male">
<P>Female <INPUT NAME="gender" TYPE=radio VALUE="female">

In section 3.15:

> <TITLE>Sample Questionnaire</TITLE>
> <H1>Sample Questionnaire</H1>

Wouldn't it be better to remove the TITLE line? It doesn't clarify
anything, and uses shortcuts that we may want to discourage (HEAD and
BODY elision).

> Please fill out this questionnaire:

To practice what we preach, we should insert a <P> at the beginning
of the last line there. :-)

> <FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="http://www.hal.com/sample">
> <P>Your name: <input name="name" size="48">
> <P>Male <input name="male" type=radio>
> <P>Female <input name="female" type=radio>

The radio buttons here have the same problem discussed above.

> Number in family: <input name="family" type=text>

Another <P> at the start of that last line would be nice...

In section 3.15.2:

> This standard defines and requires support for the HTTP
> access protocol only.

Probably better to say, "The Level 2 standard defines and
requires...".

In section 3.15.3:

> TYPE
..
> SUBMIT is a button that when pressed submits the form. You
> can use the VALUE attribute to provide a non-editable
> label to be displayed on the button. The default label is
> application-specific.
>
> NAME is a name/value pair to the submitted data if it has a
> name and was the button that was pressed in order to submit
> the form.
>
> TEXT is ...

The formatting has corrupted the intent of the text here. "NAME"
should not be a separate entry in the list of TYPEs. The apparent
entry for "NAME" is really the last sentence of the description of
"SUBMIT". The two paragraphs should be merged, and the last sentence
should begin, "The NAME is...".

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Burchard <burchard@math.utah.edu>
``I'm still learning how to count backwards from infinity...''
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