[css-cascade-7] Should rule identifiers allow quoted strings, or simply <ident>?

[KurtCattiSchmidt]

@sheet foo {}
@sheet "foo" {}

The former feels natural, but this issue is whether we should also support the latter.
 
For precedent, @layer only supports the former:

<layer-name> = <ident> [ '.' <ident> ]*

https://www.w3.org/TR/css-cascade-5/#layer-names

...while @keyframes allows both (as equivalent values):

<keyframes-name> = <custom-ident> | <string>

https://drafts.csswg.org/css-animations-1/#keyframes

[tabatkins]

Keyframes are the odd one out here, one of many oddities resulting from the spec being implemented by Apple well before WG review. We very rarely allow strings to name things.

The clear precedent is that it should be ident only.

[SebastianZ]

Question is also, if we shouldn't aim for <custom-ident> instead. I think to remember some discussion leaning towards <custom-idents> over just <ident> for any new features that allow aukthors to define names. Unfortunately, I can't find it right now.

Sebastian

[astearns]

@SebastianZ perhaps you were thinking of this discussion about preferring <dashed-ident> over <custom-ident>?

#8850

[tabatkins]

The benefit of <custom-ident> over <ident> is that (a) if the value ever shows up in a property, it'll automatically work reasonably without having to do some weird engineering, and (b) it's just more consistent in general where we don't allow inherit/initial/etc as keywords.

[SebastianZ]

@SebastianZ perhaps you were thinking of this discussion about preferring <dashed-ident> over <custom-ident>?

#8850

@astearns Right, that was the discussion. Thank you! And yes, I meant <dashed-ident>, not <custom-ident>.

Sebastian

[css-meeting-bot]

The Houdini Task Force just discussed [css-cascade-7] Should rule identifiers allow quoted strings, or simply <ident>?, and agreed to the following:

• RESOLVED: no don't allow it

The full IRC log of that discussion

<alisonmaher> TabAtkins: should sheet names allow strings
<alisonmaher> ...don't follow keyframes
<alisonmaher> ...font-face allows but only some and it is weird
<alisonmaher> ...in general answer should be no, should be ident
<alisonmaher> emilio: the other place we allow it are attribute selectors
<alisonmaher> PROPOSED: no don't allow it
<alisonmaher> emilio: attribute selectors allow both, lang, and a couple others
<alisonmaher> fantasai: there are some places that allow identifiers because quoting is annoying
<alisonmaher> RESOLVED: no don't allow it