Hi all,

I'd like a little information on the motivation for using absolute URLs on 
<input type="url"> validation.

Currently <input type="url"> is to be validated using absolute URLs. Thus, 
'http://www.mysite.com' validates but 'www.mysite.com' does not. I consider 
this to be a huge usability issue. An ordinary user when asked to provide a URL 
will be very unlikely to provide the protocol. To an ordinary user 
'www.mysite.com' is the URL, not 'http://www.mysite.com'.

Since most browsers that support both the new input types and that have fully 
implemented form validation block submission of a form with invalid inputs, a 
user entering 'www.mysite.com' is unable to submit their form and is instead 
given an error. Even assuming that the error notice is descriptive enough to 
alert to the absence of the required protocol (this is currently _not_ the 
case), the user has already been disrupted. Such strict validation is hostile 
and potentially confusing to users. As a developer I currently feel compelled 
to use the 'novalidate' attribute on forms containing type=url to protect my 
users from this behaviour.

I feel that if a developer requires the protocol, they are perfectly capable of 
asking the user for it, and doing so in a much clearer way than the browser 
itself. If the validation for URL fields is to remain so strict, I really see 
little point in this input type being validated at all; as a developer there is 
absolutely no way I can use this validation as it stands, the potential for a 
poor user experience is just too evident.

Kind regards,


--

Mikey

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