[SVGPathDataAPI] Tracking issue for SVG Path Data API explainer

Summary

Explainer for adding getPathData(), setPathData(), and getPathSegmentAtLength() to SVGPathElement in Chromium.

Explainer: SVG/SVGPathDataAPI/explainer.md

Problem

Chrome removed the old SVGPathSegList API in Chrome 48 (2015). The SVG WG specified a simpler replacement in the SVG Paths spec, but it was never implemented — leaving Chrome with no native segment-level path access for 10+ years. Developers must use polyfills or manual string parsing.

Proposed API

• getPathData(settings) — returns path segments as {type, values} plain objects
• setPathData(pathData) — sets path from an array of {type, values} objects
• getPathSegmentAtLength(distance) — returns the segment at a given path length

Supports normalization ({normalize: true}) to reduce all commands to M, L, C, Z.

Status

• Firefox: Shipped in v137 (Jan 2025)
• Safari: Not yet (still ships old SVGPathSegList)
• Chrome: Not yet — this explainer proposes implementation

Related links

• Chromium bug 40441025 (45 upvotes)
• SVG Paths §7 DOM Interfaces (spec)
• path-data-polyfill (129+ stars)
• Firefox bug 1934525 (implementation)

Please file feedback on this issue. See the explainer for full details.

Start with SVG/SVGPathDataAPI/explainer.md and the linked Chromium bug 40441025; compare the proposed methods with SVG Paths §7 DOM Interfaces and the referenced Firefox implementation. This tracking issue names no implementation file or test, so an agreed Chromium scope and entry point would be needed before defining done.