[XBL] Abstract Unclear

Hi-

 From the Abstract:

"The XML Binding Language (XBL) describes the ability to associate 
elements in one document with script, event handlers, CSS, and more 
complex content models in another document."  The first sentence in the 
specification is not correct.  XBL bindings can be in the same document 
as the bound elements.

Moreover, this abstract doesn't really encompass the scope of XBL's 
abilities, and sounds wholly theoretical in places.  A reader new to Web 
technologies would be left with little idea what this specification is for.

Perhaps something along the lines of, "The XML Binding Language (XBL) 
specifies how elements can be associated with author-created patterns 
which alter or enhance how that element is represented to the user. 
These changes can add behavior (such as scripted or declarative events 
handlers), reorder content, enhance styling, or even add content.  These 
patterns are called 'bindings', and each document can have many 
bindings.  The same element can have any binding the author wishes, 
providing multiple possible views of the element (for example, a 
molecule in Chemical Markup Language may be alternately represented as 
colored text or as an image, depending on the binding).

XBL works in conjunction with one or more other specifications to 
achieve effects that are otherwise difficult or impossible.  For 
example, XBL can be used to re-order and wrap content so that simple 
HTML or XHTML markup can have complex CSS styles applied without 
requiring that the markup be polluted with multiple semantically neutral 
div elements.  XBL can also be used to provide a presentation interface 
for XML dialects that do not have a visual aspect, such as XForms, or 
which are not yet natively supported by the User Agent (for example, 
MathML might be rendered as HTML in a browser that doesn't yet support 
MathML).  In addition, it can also be used to implement new DOM interfaces."

Regards-
-Doug

Research and Standards Engineer
6th Sense Analytics
www.6thsenseanalytics.com
mobile: 919.824.5482

Received on Wednesday, 6 December 2006 16:54:51 UTC