[webkit-dev] Q on CSSStyleSelector::adjustRenderStyle(), render tree node ordering

[David Hyatt]

On May 27, 2009, at 8:21 PM, Roland Steiner wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> As I am currently hacking on implementing ruby for WebKit, I came  
> across 2 questions where I couldn't find a good answer in the code,  
> and thus would like to ask people more knowledgable than me:
>
> Question #1: CSSStyleSelector::adjustRenderStyle (css/ 
> CSSStyleSelector.cpp) changes the effectiveDisplay value of a node.  
> Amongst other things:
>
>         // Mutate the display to BLOCK or TABLE for certain cases,  
> e.g., if someone attempts to
>         // position or float an inline, compact, or run-in.  Cache  
> the original display, since it
>         // may be needed for positioned elements that have to  
> compute their static normal flow
>         // positions.  We also force inline-level roots to be block- 
> level.
>
> I.e., basically, for positioned and floating elements it changes  
> INLINE_TABLE -> TABLE, INLINE_BOX -> BOX, everything else -> BLOCK.  
> Now, a ruby is analogous to an inline block, or inline table.  
> However, there is no analogous block-level object for ruby.  
> Therefore I wondered whether it wouldn't be ok (or even better,  
> read: less error prone) to generally just wrap such objects into an  
> anonymous block instead of changing the display value (with an  
> exception for positioned/floated table parts that are handled after  
> that point in the code).
>

My own expectation is that if you float or position a ruby it would  
just stop being a ruby and turn into a normal block.  Maybe others  
disagree though.

> Question #2: Is there code that would expect that the relative order  
> of objects in the render tree follows the relative order of the  
> corresponding nodes in the DOM tree (i.e., if DOM-node-B is after  
> DOM-node-A then render-node-B should also be after render-node-A,  
> where "after" means in the same order encountered when doing a depth- 
> first search). Or am I worrying too much and I can order the nodes  
> in the render tree without regard for the DOM tree?
>

You cannot order nodes in the render tree without regard for the DOM  
tree.  There is an assumption of document ordering in the RenderObject  
lists.  Check out how newly created renderers from the DOM get  
inserted passing in previous renderers for example.

dave