Skip to content

[css-conditional-5] scroll-state(overflowing) is confusing because it ignores clipped overflowing content #11182

Closed

Description

@fantasai

The overflowing scroll state query, whose values are none | top | right | bottom | left | block-start | inline-start | block-end | inline-end , is described as

The overflowing container feature queries whether a scroll container has clipped scrollable overflow rectangle content in the given direction which is reachable through user initiated scrolling. That is, overflowing does not match for a hidden container, nor for a negative scrollable overflow region.

But colloquially, content that overflows and is clipped is still considered overflowing.

If the question is, "can I scroll in this direction", perhaps a better name would be scrollable?

Activity

  1. lilles commented on Nov 13, 2024

    @lilles
    Member

    If the question is, "can I scroll in this direction", perhaps a better name would be scrollable?

    Yes, I agree that scrollable would be a better name.

  2. yisibl commented on Nov 13, 2024

    @yisibl
    Contributor

    "can I scroll in this direction"

    This is indeed easier to understand and fits the perception of CSS authors.

    To accommodate more common scenarios, I've also come up with a new syntax: scroll-state(scroll-to)

    Add scroll-state(scroll-to) container feature queries

  3. css-meeting-bot commented on Nov 20, 2024

    @css-meeting-bot
    Member

    The CSS Working Group just discussed [css-conditional-5] scroll-state(overflowing) is confusing because it ignores clipped overflowing content, and agreed to the following:

    • RESOLVED: Rename "overflowing" to "scrollable"
    The full IRC log of that discussion <TabAtkins> futhark: there's scroll-state(overflowing) which is true if there is content overflowing in that axis
    <TabAtkins> futhark: elika points out that there may be overflowing content that can't be scrolled to. she recommends renaming the value to 'scrollable'
    <miriam> +1 scrollable
    <argyle> +1 scrollable
    <TabAtkins> futhark: I agree. Suggest we use this name unless people have other suggestions.
    <TabAtkins> +1
    <TabAtkins> fantasai: think this is a good summary
    <kbabbitt> +1 scrollable
    <fantasai> s/content overflowing/content overflowing and scrollable to/
    <smfr> q+
    <kizu> q+
    <TabAtkins> astearns: proposed resolution is to rename 'overflowing' to 'scrollable'
    <astearns> ack smfr
    <TabAtkins> smfr: is this only user-scrollable overflow? or also overflow:hidden?
    <kizu> q- same question
    <dbaron> s/hidden/hidden, which can be programmatically scrolled/
    <TabAtkins> futhark: overflowing content that can be scrolled to *with the UI*
    <astearns> ack kizu
    <TabAtkins> kizu: yeah same, in a lot of aspects 'hidden' behaves as other scrollable values like 'auto' or 'scroll'
    <emilio> I think it should apply to hidden fwiw
    <astearns> ack fantasai
    <TabAtkins> kizu: i think there are situations authors might want to know if there is clipped content that could be script-scrolled to
    <emilio> (but not clip=
    <TabAtkins> fantasai: maybe a separate issue, i think i agree it should apply to hidden as well
    <TabAtkins> fantasai: the author knows if it's hidden or not, that's not an interesting part of the query
    <TabAtkins> fantasai: but i think that should be another issue
    <TabAtkins> +1 to fantasai
    <TabAtkins> astearns: are you okay punting to a separate issue?
    <TabAtkins> kizu: yup
    <TabAtkins> astearns: so proposed resolution, rename "overflowing" to "scrollable". objections?
    <fantasai> s/that's not an interesting part of the query/this becomes an uninteresting query for hidden elements if it doesn't work on hidden
    <emilio> +1 on the rename
    <TabAtkins> RESOLVED: Rename "overflowing" to "scrollable"
    <emilio> +1 to make it work on hidden too :)
    <TabAtkins> astearns: I'll get the other two async resolutions going today.
    <emilio> There's no point on allowing auto with scrollbar-width: none but not hidden for example
  4. added a commit that references this issue on Nov 21, 2024
  5. added 2 commits that reference this issue on Nov 21, 2024
  6. added a commit that references this issue on Nov 28, 2024
  7. added a commit that references this issue on Sep 16, 2025
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

No one assigned

    Type

    No type

    Projects

    No projects

      Milestone

      No milestone

      Relationships

      None yet

      Development

      No branches or pull requests

      Issue actions