Re: 2000-01-19 WD: Linkbases/External linksets

 > 1. "Linkbases" first shows up in the WD in [3.1.5], "External Linksets for
 > Resources Participating in Extended Links," where it is defined thusly: "XML
 > documents whose primary purpose is to contain XLink extended link elements."
 > How much importance does the word "primary" have in that definition? Do you
 > read it to mean that other content -- even non-linking-related content 
-- may
 > be in the linkbase, as long as it meets the requirement of being well-formed
 > XML?

It's acceptable for a linkbase to contain any old stuff it wants, but it's 
got to contain extended links too.  We were trying to convey the idea that 
something *identified as* a linkbase does indeed have this as its primary 
purpose, so unless the "primary" part really bothers people, I'm inclined 
to keep it.

 > 2. The definition of "external linkset" from the same section says that it
 > is a "description of linkbases relevant to a particular resource." The
 > "relevant to a particular resource" seems kind of, well, mealy-mouthed
 > -- seeming to say something but afraid to say it. Is the "particular"
 > resource the local resource?

The reason to collect a list of these linkbases is because a particular 
resource that you want to process (e.g., display) may participate in one of 
their contained extended links.  Any document containing an external 
linkset is claiming that the extended links in the referenced linkbases may 
be relevant to that document.  It's not exactly the "local resource" in 
XLink terms; it's more like the "potentially participating resource" or 
something.

 > 3. As I understand it, an external linkset looks schematically
 > something like the following:


	[local resource]
		|_________
			  | [external linkset: linkbase containing
			    one or more extended links, including
			    one or more locator-type elements apiece]

(It's more accurate to say "external linkset: reference to one or more 
linkbases each containing one or more extended links...".)

 > What is the mechanism (if any!) for linking from the local resource
 > to the external linkset? Just a simple link? Does the
 > "role='[prefix:]external-linkset'" attribute get placed on the
 > link in the local resource, or on the containing element in the
 > external linkset? (I assume (a) that only a simple link to the
 > external linkset is required, with no special "I'm pointing to an
 > external linkset" attribute; and (b) that the role="external-linkset"
 > attribute goes in the external linkset, NOT in the local resource
 > which points to it.)

The "local resource" (what I called a "potentially participating resource" 
above) gets associated with an external linkset by containment -- that is, 
they're both in the same XML document.  The external linkset element itself 
(a normal XLink extended link in most other respects) has the special role 
value.  Does this help?  If so, how can I make this clearer in the spec?

	Eve
--
Eve Maler            Sun Microsystems
elm @ east.sun.com    +1 781 442 3190

Received on Friday, 28 January 2000 15:00:16 UTC