Simplify and standardize anchor syntax

[h3h]

n a semi-recent changeset [2906], there are anchors that are being
created on the admin post page. I've also seen more recent patches with the same. The HTML uses the following syntax:

<a id="preview-post"></a>

I am wondering why this specific syntax is being used instead of
simply adding the same id to the h2 element itself, like so:

<h2 id="preview-post"><?php _e('Post Preview (updated when post is
saved)'); ?> ...

As far as I know, using the A element for anchoring is a thing of the
past, and even then it was <a name="..."> (an empty element without
the closing </a>).

Clarification on this usage would be appreciated and I think it would
be good to establish a product-wide standard for anchor syntax (if one
doesn't already exist).

[markjaquith]

Honestly, I have no idea how widespread support for id anchors on non-<a /> elements is in older browsers, so I used what I know works. If you can give me some assurance that <h2 id="preview-post"> would work widely, I'll gladly make the patch!

[h3h]

After some research it seems that all version 5+ browsers support linking to elements with an id. However, the ​HTML 4 Spec states that id should only be used on non-A elements. That is, if you're going to use A elements, use <a name="..." />.

This is only necessary if we're looking to support anchor linking in NN4 or other archaic browsers. This isn't crucial functionality and I think we've broken compatibility in enough other areas that it makes sense to just use the <x id="..."> format, where x is some element like a header.

[markjaquith]

puts the anchors on the <h2>s

[ryan]

(In [2973]) Put the preview anchors on the h2. Props: markjaquith fixes #1765

[(none)]

Milestone 2.0 deleted