Link-5: Extended Contextual Links

We have a problem as to what's a resource and what isn't.  I am mostly
responsible for this; I dreamed up a cute example of what I claimed
to be an XML xlink and showed it to lots of audiences... a lot of people
like it, but in retrospect it turns out not to be right.
First, here's the example:

<!DOCTYPE test [ 
 <!ATTLIST X XML-LINK #FIXED "EXTENDED"> 
 <!ATTLIST L XML-LINK #FIXED "LOCATOR">
]>

Faced with a tight situation, Sakata found a 
<X>
<L ROLE="EG" LABEL="English translation"
   SHOW="NEW" HREF="/cgi-bin/xlate?term=tesuji" />
<L ROLE="PIC" LABEL="Illustration"
   SHOW="EMBED"
   HREF="pix.xml#DESCENDENT(*,FIG,CAPTION,TESUJI)" />
<L ROLE="CourseNotes" LABEL="Course Notes"
   HREF="notes.xml#ID(def-Tesuji)..DITTO,NEXT(3,P)" />
<L ROLE="ToMove" LABEL="Jump to move in game record"
   SHOW="REPLACE" HREF="game.xml#Move127" />tesuji</X>.

For naive audiences, I walk 'em through the magic of the xpointers
and the SHOW attributes... always with lots of nodding heads.  Here's
the problem... is the word 'tesuji' a resource of this link?  In
other words, should it be highlighted and able to launch traversal
on a click?

It *really feels* like it should be a resource.  But according to the
current spec, it's not unless I have another locator that says
 <L ROLE="whatever" Label="whatever" HREF="#HERE,"/>

What we need to do, I think, is to say either that:
(1) another locator as described above is required, or
(2) any content of extended linking elements that is not a locator
    element is to be treated as a resource.

Comments?

Cheers, Tim Bray
tbray@textuality.com http://www.textuality.com/ +1-604-708-9592

Received on Sunday, 18 May 1997 05:38:28 UTC