v133 · dom

Interest Invokers (the `interestfor` attribute)

This feature adds an `interestfor` attribute to <button> and <a> elements. This attribute adds "interest" behaviors to the element, such that when the user "shows interest" in the element, actions are triggered on the target element, such as showing a popover. The user agent will handle detecting when the user "shows interest" in the element, via methods suc

concepts

  1. interestfor

    Hover/focus on the trigger reveals the target popover — pure declarative tooltips.

  2. Avatar hovercard

    Four user avatars with profile hovercards bound via interestfor. The Twitter/GitHub hovercard pattern replaced by one attribute — including focus and long-press, not just hover.

  3. Keyboard, touch & pointer triggers

    The three input paths the UA collapses into a single interest event — hover, focus, long-press. Each labelled and logged.

  4. Menu bar cascade

    An OS-style menu bar built from nested interestfor attributes — submenus expand under focus or hover, dismiss on interest loss. No script.

  5. Contextual help system

    A 6-field form where every field has a ? button wired via interestfor. Hover, focus, or long-press shows the field's documentation popover. Six buttons, zero event listeners — the UA handles all three input modalities from one attribute.

why it shipped

The `popover=hint` feature (https://chromestatus.com/feature/5073251081912320, shipped in M133) provides "half" of the features needed to build declarative tooltips, hovercards, and menus. The missing piece is the invocation of those UX elements on hover, keyboard activation, or long-press. This feature fills that gap.

references