XForms WD 20020821 - 3.2.2 What are linking attributes for?

I have further questions relating to Chapter 3.2.2 ranging from typos to more 
technical questions.

Line of 3.2.2 needs editing. It isn't a coherent English sentence as written.

Only one linking attribute, the src attribute, is listed but reference is 
made to "All linking attributes". Is there one linking attribute, if so why 
refer to "all" linking attributes? Or more than one attribute?

Or it is proposed to allow more than one src attribute on an xforms:instance 
element? That, however, would not be well-formed XML.

More fundamentally, what are the linking attribute(s) for?

3.2.2 states that linking attributes correspond to XLink (presumably simple 
type) links with actuate of "onLoad" and show of "embed". So far so good.

Chapter 3.3 seems to indicate that the "Linking Attributes Collection" is 
used only on xforms:instance. So, if I have the idea correctly, then the src 
attribute allows a limited form of modularization i.e. the instance data 
structure *could* be modularized to a separate document.

But, why not allow the src attribute on xforms:model? If that was allowed 
then a whole instance document could be embedded.

So why not allow the src attribute on xforms:model?

But, if the only function of the src attribute currently proposed is to embed 
an instance data structure - which is only allowed a single root element - 
then it follows that it is not allowed to embed two documents since that 
would break the "single root element" rule.

That being the case it seems to refute Steven Pemberton's suggestion that it 
may be necessary to link to more than one document. That would, at least as I 
read the WD, it is necessary to link to no more than one document otherwise 
the "single root element" rule is broken.

So, XLink functionality would seem to meet all the requirements of the 
"Linking Attributes Collection". So why not use XLink?

Andrew Watt

Received on Thursday, 29 August 2002 11:54:33 UTC