Track upstream jgm/djot#262 for marker-adjacent list-item attribute syntax

[dereuromark]

Context

djot-php currently supports list-item attributes via a postfix indented line form:

- item 1
  {.highlight #id1}
- item 2

Upstream jgm/djot#262 proposes a different syntax — marker-adjacent:

-{.highlight #id1} item 1
- item 2

These two forms are mutually exclusive on the same input: -{ is currently a list marker followed by { (and parses as the postfix line not applying), while - followed by {...} on the next line is what djot-php recognizes today.

Why deferred

• Proposal for syntax for attributes on list items jgm/djot#262 is still open with no implementation in djot.lua / djot.js. jgm is low-bandwidth on this.
• The marker-adjacent form is the more djot-idiomatic one (prefix / adjacency rule, no parse ambiguity), and the eventual upstream decision will likely shape any future change here.
• markup-carve (a fresh post-djot redesign) declined both forms, so neither has consensus prior-art.
• A unilateral switch now would either break existing djot-php users (if we replace postfix) or carry permanent dual-syntax baggage.

Decision

Keep the postfix form as the single working list-item-attribute syntax in djot-php for now. Re-evaluate (and adopt the marker-adjacent form, possibly with a deprecation window for postfix) once jgm/djot#262 is resolved upstream.

When to act on this issue

• Trigger: Proposal for syntax for attributes on list items jgm/djot#262 is merged or closed with a definitive resolution.
• Action then: open a PR adding the marker-adjacent form per upstream's syntax, decide on dual-support vs deprecation of postfix, and update docs.

Related

• Proposal for syntax for attributes on list items jgm/djot#262 — Proposal for syntax for attributes on list items
• Syntax for block attributes for list elements (<li>) jgm/djot#185 — Original discussion thread

[dereuromark]

Done with #241

[dereuromark]

What shipped:

• Marker-adjacent form per Proposal for syntax for attributes on list items jgm/djot#262, across every marker type (bullet, ordered decimal/), parenthesized (1)/(a), roman, alpha, and task lists): -{.x} item, 1.{#id k=v} item, etc. A space before the brace keeps the old content meaning.
• Dual-support, not a switch: the postfix indented-line form still attaches to the <li>, but is now soft-deprecated in favor of the marker-adjacent syntax. Marker attributes seed the item; the postfix form merges on top.
• The opt-in blocksInterruptParagraphs mode recognizes attributed markers too.
• Docs (docs/guide/syntax.md) lead with the marker-adjacent form and mark postfix as soft-deprecated.

Deviation from this issue's original plan: the stated trigger was "jgm/djot#262 merged or closed upstream", which has not happened (still open). We shipped ahead of that gate because the marker-adjacent design is unambiguous and the change is additive (dual-support, no break for existing postfix users). If #262 later lands with different semantics, revisit here.

For cross-reference: the markup-carve sibling project implements the same feature with deliberately different rules (no + bullet, no (1)/(a) markers, content required, task attrs before the marker, postfix form rejected) — see markup-carve/carve#104. djot-php intentionally follows the djot proposal, not carve.

Closing as done.