[Bug 7508] <dialog> needs a way to add non-speech related information

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=7508





--- Comment #2 from Leif Halvard Silli <xn--mlform-iua@xn--mlform-iua.no>  2009-09-09 01:47:11 ---
(In reply to comment #1)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  

Rather than marking up the periphery with e.g. an <annotation> element, authors
should mark up the center, with <cite> - in analogy with how the draft proposes
to use <dfn> in glossary lists:

     <dt><time>14:22</time> <cite>Leif</cite> (ironically)</dt><dd>I see.</dd>

DISCUSSION: 

<dialog>, like <dl>, is a name/value list. Each <dt> represents an act in that
dialog. The act is bound to a name (in the name/value sense of "name") which
represents a participant/some participants (usually represented by name(s) of
the participant[s]). The act of each participant took place at a particular
place in time and space and was performed in a certain manner . By default the
act of each participants is neutral word utterance. In those cases, the <dt>
only needs to contain the name of the acting participant. If the act is not a
neutral utterance - or if it doesn't involve word utterance at all, it must be
noted inside <dt> beside the participant name.

The value part in these name/value pairs, are the word utterances of the
participants. (After all, the purpose of the <dialog> element is to identify
speech/utterance.)

Now, you propose to single out what, inside <dt>, that represent
indication/annotation/notes. However, there is another method: For <dl>, if it
is being used to create a list of defined words - a glossary - then the draft
recommends to single out the defined word using the <dfn> element. From the
draft per today <http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/Overview.html#the-dl-element>:

       <dt><dfn>Flat</dfn>, n.</dt><dd>A deflated tire.</dd>

The "n." in the above example becomes extra information - annotation/notes -
that helps you to decide/see/understand which exact word that is being define.
And analogously, for <dialog>, instead of marking up what is annotation (the
periphery), one could mark up  what the center is - the participant name(s) -
to repate the example from the exectutive summary:

     <dt><time>14:22</time> <cite>Leif</cite> (ironically)</dt><dd>I see.</dd>

Regarding <indication>/<annotation>/<note>, is such an element  linked any more
to <dialog> than to other elements? It could eventually be needed many places
and could deserve its own bug report. But at the same time it strikes me that
we have many "note elements" already. For example <aside> ... And may be
<figure>. That none of them are allowed inside <dt> is another problem ... 


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Received on Wednesday, 9 September 2009 01:47:22 UTC