I should add, another argument for using small to wrap, is that
without it, on a list element, the numerals in the list are larger
than the the small print text - because the small element is on the
inner HTML rather than the entire element (which does effect the
numeric bullets too).
Remy Sharp
On 7 Aug 2009, at 14:19, Remy Sharp wrote:
Hi,
I know Bruce Lawson has mentioned that this has been brought up
before, but I couldn't find it in the archives (searching "small"),
so I'd like to bring it up again.
The HTML 5 spec says:
"Small print typically features disclaimers, caveats, legal
restrictions, or copyrights. Small print is also sometimes used for
attribution, or for satisfying licensing requirements."
http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/text-level-semantics.html#the-small-element
So I'm making a list of disclaimers for my site:
<ol>
<li>You must agree to this term</li>
<li>And this term too</li>
<li>And don't break this term</li>
<li>And don't forget the milk</li>
</ol>
<p>By reading this, you're agreeing to xyz</p>
To make this valid, and small print text, I need to individually
wrap the inner HTML of each inline element (li and p elements).
This is wasteful and very much like the situation that we had with
the a element when we wanted the whole block to be clickable.
When I wrap *everything* in the small element (as seen here: http://jsbin.com/okevo
) all the browsers I've tested it in renders the text as I would
expect, but it doesn't validate against the HTML 5 parsing rules (as
you'd expect).
If this element is truly for disclaimers, caveats and restrictions,
and not stylistically making something small, then it will be
typically used on blocks of content, be it a single line or multiple
paragraphs. As such, it seems sensible to say that the small
element can have nested block elements within it.
Here's the list of the compatible browsers (I could have done more
browsers, but I think this test with 10 proves the support is solid):
http://leftlogic.litmusapp.com/pub/a5fa8ed
<small>At time of writing, the last test is still being generated,
but I've tested Firefox 3.5 manually and it passes</small> ;-)
Cheers,
Remy Sharp
Left Logic
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