[e] (0) Clarify how language affects form controls.

Fixing http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13408 Affected topics: HTML git-svn-id: http://svn.whatwg.org/webapps@6905 340c8d12-0b0e-0410-8428-c7bf67bfef74
whatwg · Jan 20, 2012 · c67c640 · c67c640
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Showing 3 changed files with 71 additions and 14 deletions.
diff --git a/complete.html b/complete.html
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@
 
   <header class=head id=head><p><a class=logo href=http://www.whatwg.org/><img alt=WHATWG height=101 src=/images/logo width=101></a></p>
    <hgroup><h1 class=allcaps>HTML</h1>
-    <h2 class="no-num no-toc">Living Standard &mdash; Last Updated 19 January 2012</h2>
+    <h2 class="no-num no-toc">Living Standard &mdash; Last Updated 20 January 2012</h2>
    </hgroup><dl><dt><strong>Web developer edition:</strong></dt>
     <dd><strong><a href=http://developers.whatwg.org/>http://developers.whatwg.org/</a></strong></dd>
     <dt>Multiple-page version:</dt>
@@ -11279,12 +11279,19 @@ <h5 id=the-lang-and-xml:lang-attributes><span class=secno>3.2.3.3 </span>The <co
   unknown.</p>
 
   <hr><p>User agents may use the element's language to determine proper
-  processing or rendering (e.g. in the selection of appropriate
-  fonts or pronunciations, or for dictionary selection). <!--User
-  agents must not use the element's language to determine text
+  processing or rendering (e.g. in the selection of appropriate fonts
+  or pronunciations, for dictionary selection, or for the user
+  interfaces of form controls such as date pickers). <!--User agents
+  must not use the element's language to determine text
   directionality. (commented out because text directionality is a
   rendering-level concern.)--></p>
 
+  <!-- Date pickers would use the language information for determining
+  the language of months, for example. They should use the page's
+  _locale_ to figure out the format itself, not the language. There's
+  currently no way to determine the page's locale except by guessing
+  from the charset and language... -->
+
   <hr><p>The <dfn id=dom-lang title=dom-lang><code>lang</code></dfn> IDL attribute
   must <a href=#reflect>reflect</a> the <code title=attr-lang><a href=#attr-lang>lang</a></code>
   content attribute in no namespace.</p>
@@ -44574,7 +44581,19 @@ <h6 id="date-and-time-state-(type=datetime)"><span class=secno>4.10.7.1.7 </span
   <p class=note>The format shown to the user is independent of the
   format used for form submission. Browsers are encouraged to use user
   interfaces that present dates and times according to the conventions
-  of the user's preferred locale.</p>
+  of either the locale implied by the element's <a href=#language>language</a>
+  or the user's preferred locale. Using the page locale will ensure
+  consistency with page-provided data.</p>
+
+  <p class=Example>For example, it would be confusing to users if an
+  American English page claimed that a Cirque De Soleil show was going
+  to be showing on 02/03<!-- Feb 3 (year) -->, but their browser,
+  configured to use the British English locale, only showed the date
+  03/02<!-- 3 Feb (year) --> in the ticket purchase date picker. Using
+  the page's locale would at least ensure that the date was presented
+  in the same format everywhere. (There's still a risk that the user
+  would end up arriving a month late, of course, but there's only so
+  much that can be done about such cultural differences...)</p>
 
   <p>The <code title=attr-input-value><a href=#attr-input-value>value</a></code> attribute, if
   specified and not empty, must have a value that is a <a href=#valid-global-date-and-time-string>valid

diff --git a/index b/index
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@
 
   <header class=head id=head><p><a class=logo href=http://www.whatwg.org/><img alt=WHATWG height=101 src=/images/logo width=101></a></p>
    <hgroup><h1 class=allcaps>HTML</h1>
-    <h2 class="no-num no-toc">Living Standard &mdash; Last Updated 19 January 2012</h2>
+    <h2 class="no-num no-toc">Living Standard &mdash; Last Updated 20 January 2012</h2>
    </hgroup><dl><dt><strong>Web developer edition:</strong></dt>
     <dd><strong><a href=http://developers.whatwg.org/>http://developers.whatwg.org/</a></strong></dd>
     <dt>Multiple-page version:</dt>
@@ -11279,12 +11279,19 @@ Transport Protocol"&gt;HTTP&lt;/abbr&gt; today.&lt;/p&gt;</pre>
   unknown.</p>
 
   <hr><p>User agents may use the element's language to determine proper
-  processing or rendering (e.g. in the selection of appropriate
-  fonts or pronunciations, or for dictionary selection). <!--User
-  agents must not use the element's language to determine text
+  processing or rendering (e.g. in the selection of appropriate fonts
+  or pronunciations, for dictionary selection, or for the user
+  interfaces of form controls such as date pickers). <!--User agents
+  must not use the element's language to determine text
   directionality. (commented out because text directionality is a
   rendering-level concern.)--></p>
 
+  <!-- Date pickers would use the language information for determining
+  the language of months, for example. They should use the page's
+  _locale_ to figure out the format itself, not the language. There's
+  currently no way to determine the page's locale except by guessing
+  from the charset and language... -->
+
   <hr><p>The <dfn id=dom-lang title=dom-lang><code>lang</code></dfn> IDL attribute
   must <a href=#reflect>reflect</a> the <code title=attr-lang><a href=#attr-lang>lang</a></code>
   content attribute in no namespace.</p>
@@ -44574,7 +44581,19 @@ interface <dfn id=htmlformelement>HTMLFormElement</dfn> : <a href=#htmlelement>H
   <p class=note>The format shown to the user is independent of the
   format used for form submission. Browsers are encouraged to use user
   interfaces that present dates and times according to the conventions
-  of the user's preferred locale.</p>
+  of either the locale implied by the element's <a href=#language>language</a>
+  or the user's preferred locale. Using the page locale will ensure
+  consistency with page-provided data.</p>
+
+  <p class=Example>For example, it would be confusing to users if an
+  American English page claimed that a Cirque De Soleil show was going
+  to be showing on 02/03<!-- Feb 3 (year) -->, but their browser,
+  configured to use the British English locale, only showed the date
+  03/02<!-- 3 Feb (year) --> in the ticket purchase date picker. Using
+  the page's locale would at least ensure that the date was presented
+  in the same format everywhere. (There's still a risk that the user
+  would end up arriving a month late, of course, but there's only so
+  much that can be done about such cultural differences...)</p>
 
   <p>The <code title=attr-input-value><a href=#attr-input-value>value</a></code> attribute, if
   specified and not empty, must have a value that is a <a href=#valid-global-date-and-time-string>valid

diff --git a/source b/source
@@ -11687,12 +11687,19 @@ Transport Protocol">HTTP&lt;/abbr> today.&lt;/p></pre>
   <hr>
 
   <p>User agents may use the element's language to determine proper
-  processing or rendering (e.g. in the selection of appropriate
-  fonts or pronunciations, or for dictionary selection). <!--User
-  agents must not use the element's language to determine text
+  processing or rendering (e.g. in the selection of appropriate fonts
+  or pronunciations, for dictionary selection, or for the user
+  interfaces of form controls such as date pickers). <!--User agents
+  must not use the element's language to determine text
   directionality. (commented out because text directionality is a
   rendering-level concern.)--></p>
 
+  <!-- Date pickers would use the language information for determining
+  the language of months, for example. They should use the page's
+  _locale_ to figure out the format itself, not the language. There's
+  currently no way to determine the page's locale except by guessing
+  from the charset and language... -->
+
   <hr>
 
   <p>The <dfn title="dom-lang"><code>lang</code></dfn> IDL attribute
@@ -51977,7 +51984,19 @@ interface <dfn>HTMLFormElement</dfn> : <span>HTMLElement</span> {
   <p class="note">The format shown to the user is independent of the
   format used for form submission. Browsers are encouraged to use user
   interfaces that present dates and times according to the conventions
-  of the user's preferred locale.</p>
+  of either the locale implied by the element's <span>language</span>
+  or the user's preferred locale. Using the page locale will ensure
+  consistency with page-provided data.</p>
+
+  <p class="Example">For example, it would be confusing to users if an
+  American English page claimed that a Cirque De Soleil show was going
+  to be showing on 02/03<!-- Feb 3 (year) -->, but their browser,
+  configured to use the British English locale, only showed the date
+  03/02<!-- 3 Feb (year) --> in the ticket purchase date picker. Using
+  the page's locale would at least ensure that the date was presented
+  in the same format everywhere. (There's still a risk that the user
+  would end up arriving a month late, of course, but there's only so
+  much that can be done about such cultural differences...)</p>
 
   <p>The <code title="attr-input-value">value</code> attribute, if
   specified and not empty, must have a value that is a <span>valid