3 ms·

> It's certainly better than calling everything a div. It's not. For semantic purposes <my-element> is the same as <div class=my-element>. So on the surface th

by kevincox 10mo ago

> It's certainly better than calling everything a div. It's not. For semantic purposes <my-element> is the same as <div class=my-element>. So on the surface they are equivalent. But if you are in the habit of using custom elements then you will likely continue to use them even when a more useful element is available so <my-aside> rather than <aside class=my-aside> so in practice it is probably worse even if theoretically identical. Basically divs with classes provide no semantic information but create a good pattern for using semantic elements when they fit. Using custom elements provides no semantic information and makes using semantic elements look different and unusual.

ragall 10mo ago
> For semantic purposes But semantic purposes are not all possible purposes.
jeremyjh 10mo ago
> But if you are in the habit of using custom elements then you will likely continue to use them even when a more useful element is available This article is written for web developers. I’m not sure who you think you are addressing with this comment. In any case - the argument is a weak one. To the extent people make the mistake you allege they can make it with classed div and span tags as well and I’ve seen this in practice.
mr_toad 10mo ago
> But if you are in the habit of using custom elements then you will likely continue to use them even when a more useful element is available You could say the same about divs. I’ve seen pages where everything is a div. No paragraphs, no headings, no tables, no lists, just divs.
- kevincox 10mo ago
  That is a strawman. I never said everyone who uses classes perfectly uses semantic elements. My point is that if you are using <div class=my-element> you don't have to change your .my-element CSS selector or JS selection code to improve your code to <p class=my-element>. If you are using <my-element> it is much more work to change your selectors and now you have two ways of doing things depending on if you are using a native semantic element or a div (either a tag selector or class selector). You have made your styling code depend on your element choice which makes it harder to change.
- novemp 10mo ago
  I've seen <span class=italics>, and it made me want to break things.

ragall 10mo ago

> For semantic purposes But semantic purposes are not all possible purposes.

jeremyjh 10mo ago

> But if you are in the habit of using custom elements then you will likely continue to use them even when a more useful element is available This article is written for web developers. I’m not sure who you think you are addressing with this comment. In any case - the argument is a weak one. To the extent people make the mistake you allege they can make it with classed div and span tags as well and I’ve seen this in practice.

mr_toad 10mo ago

> But if you are in the habit of using custom elements then you will likely continue to use them even when a more useful element is available You could say the same about divs. I’ve seen pages where everything is a div. No paragraphs, no headings, no tables, no lists, just divs.

kevincox 10mo ago
That is a strawman. I never said everyone who uses classes perfectly uses semantic elements. My point is that if you are using <div class=my-element> you don't have to change your .my-element CSS selector or JS selection code to improve your code to <p class=my-element>. If you are using <my-element> it is much more work to change your selectors and now you have two ways of doing things depending on if you are using a native semantic element or a div (either a tag selector or class selector). You have made your styling code depend on your element choice which makes it harder to change.
novemp 10mo ago
I've seen <span class=italics>, and it made me want to break things.