I like asides

November 6, 2006 3:10 AM

I have recently enbraced the dfn tag. However...

I have started using the dfn tag to occasionally make inline footnotes/snide asides on my blog. However, I have found that Firefox 2.0 sometimes truncates the definition upon hover. I'd like for this not to happen — in other words, I'd like to not be restrained by a character limit.

I know the dfn tag is not frequently used. Are there any other alternative tags or additional options I can use to prevent this truncation happening? I have considered using JS-style tooltips, but the coding seems pretty convoluted to do inline, especially if you are using it frequently.

posted by Brittanie to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Do you mean the tool tip that appears when you hover over something? There's a long-standing Firefox bug that truncates these that's apparently going to be fixed in FF3, which is apparently due Q1 2007. Theres a listing on Bugzilla for this issue, but I can't find it now

Currently, the only way to solve this is via an add on/extension. Or, as you've identified, by using JavaScript.
posted by TheDonF at 3:41 AM on November 6, 2006

It's bug 45375
posted by TheDonF at 3:43 AM on November 6, 2006

I don't think that's what the dfn element is intended for. Originally it was expected that the definition would be nearby the dfn element in text. For example:

MetaFilter is a community weblog.
posted by grouse at 4:14 AM on November 6, 2006

Response by poster: Gouse, I don't see that your html is working. From the research I've done, the dfn tag is supposed to work like this, where you hover over the word in italics to get the definition. (Please view source on this comment.) Maybe you are thinking of the cite tag?
posted by Brittanie at 4:21 AM on November 6, 2006

Response by poster: AHHHH! *Grouse*. Sorry.
posted by Brittanie at 4:22 AM on November 6, 2006

Brittanie - the TITLE attribute isn't specific to DFN. It can be used pretty much whereever.
Here it is in a bold tag, for example.
posted by jozxyqk at 5:04 AM on November 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

Brittanie: no. As jozxyqk points out, the title attribute is part of the core attribute set, and is included in most XHTML block and inline elements.

• This is an example of an unordered list with the title attribute set.

The purpose of the dfn element is to give special treatment to the defined word in a definition, as in the example I used above. People who don't know about dfn will probably use strong or em instead for this purpose.

Personally I think it would be more correct to use span than dfn for this purpose. In any case, knowing that the undesired behavior is specific to title, not to dfn may help you as you try to resolve it.
posted by grouse at 5:54 AM on November 6, 2006

TheDonF: 45375 has been reclassified as a Seamonkey-only bug and is now marked as "resolved". I think 213223 is where the fun is currently happening. It took them over 6 years to fix the Seamonkey bug, though, so don't hold your breath...
posted by blag at 8:56 AM on November 6, 2006

Cheers blag. I'm subscribed to the updates to 45375 and it's occaisonally been full of flames. One of the last posts before it went to a Seamonkey bug was from someone involved with the browser saying that it will be fixed in FF3. So we'll see.
posted by TheDonF at 9:49 AM on November 7, 2006