HTML5 dataset jQuery plugin
The HTML5 specification allows any DOM element to
have custom
data attributes. These attributes are prefixed
with data- and may be conveniently accessed through
an
element's dataset
property.
The jquery.dataset
plugin provides similar functionality.
So what is this good for? The HTML5 specification indicates that custom attributes are private. Only the site should pay attention to them. This means they don't enhance the semantic quality of a document unless the reader has special, site-specific knowledge.
A good application of custom attributes is scripting.
The Dojo Toolkit, for
example, uses non-standard properties such
as DojoType to support javascript widget
initialization without requiring custom initialization scripts.
Using HTML5, it's possible to create a similar type of
general purpose widget/markup interface that remains
standard-compliant.
The role attribute
[ARIA] could be a
good choice to indicate the type of widget since it also enhances
accessibility. Widget options could be gathered
from $(element).dataset()
or $.evalJSON($(element).dataset('options')). Using
JSON in an attribute is ugly, but it would be straightforward to
create complex options (lists, nested objects, etc).
A related project is
the jQuery
metadata plugin. It provides a way to retrieve additional
data embedded in an element's class attribute,
non-standard attributes, nested script tags, or HTML5 custom
attributes. The jquery.dataset
plugin is simple, focused, and allows HTML5 custom attributes to
be retrieved and manipulated.
