[Javascript] how to refer to (x)html elements

[David Lovering]

Hmmm... I might refer you to section 5.9 of the URL

http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/selector.html

The use of ID is again employed (as I suggested) as a CSS2 standard.  I
believe the w3 standards group is the same one that backed the HTML standard
(and by extension the JavaScript usage of the id header).  I don't believe
they are in the practice of promoting nonsense, although I could be
mistaken.

Now for the peace offering -- I AGREE with you; the only meaningful role for
"id" is as a one-to-one and onto identification for DOM objects.  The pity
is that the CSS folks didn't pick something other than "ID" as the handle to
hang all this other stuff off of.  Also, the practice of quoting the HTML id
string and not quoting the CSS id strikes me as syntactic heresy of the
highest order.

The fact that this functionality closely matches the use of "CLASS" further
complicates things.

Ah well, I've said my piece.

-- Dave Lovering


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hassan Schroeder" <hassan at webtuitive.com>
To: "[JavaScript List]" <javascript at LaTech.edu>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 7:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Javascript] how to refer to (x)html elements


> David Lovering wrote:
>
> > The real problem with "id" in HTML (and correspondingly in JavaScript)
is
> > that it tries to do too many things.
>
> <non-standards-compliant example removed/>
>
> Nonsense. ID does one thing -- it identifies a *single* element.
>
> And if you ignore the standard, and it *seems* to work -- so what?
> You ran with scissors and didn't poke your eye out, you went 65mph
> in a 35 zone and didn't get a ticket. So what?
>
> The standard is unambiguous. ID must be unique within a document.
>
> As Roger points out, getElement*s*ByTagName, plural, returns an
> array; getElementById, singular, does not. A quick search turns up
> this good snippet on the DOM:
>
> /* source: <http://xml.apache.org/xalan-j/apidocs/index.html> */
>
>    org.w3c.dom
>      Interface Document  extends org.w3c.dom.Node
>
>   getElementById
>
>      public Element getElementById(java.lang.String elementId)
>
>    Returns the Element whose ID is given by elementId. If no such
>    element exists, returns null. Behavior is not defined if more
>    than one element has this ID. ...
>
>    Parameters:
>      elementId - The unique id value for an element.
>    Returns:
>      The matching element.
>    Since:
>      DOM Level 2
>
> "Behavior is not defined" kinda sums it up, eh? :-)
>
> FWIW!
> -- 
> Hassan Schroeder ----------------------------- hassan at webtuitive.com
> Webtuitive Design ===  (+1) 408-938-0567   === http://webtuitive.com
>
>                            dream.  code.
>
>
>
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