Re: [html-bidi] Any bidi requirements for MathML (or MathMl in HTML)?

The bidi-oriented clauses in MathML3 seem very reasonable IMHO.


Shalom (Regards),  Mati
           Bidi Architect
           Globalization Center Of Competency - Bidirectional Scripts
           IBM Israel
           Phone: +972 2 5888802    Fax: +972 2 5870333    Mobile: +972 52 
2554160




From:   Bert Bos <bert@w3.org>
To:     public-i18n-bidi@w3.org
Date:   17/08/2010 16:33
Subject:        [html-bidi] Any bidi requirements for MathML (or MathMl in 
HTML)?
Sent by:        public-i18n-bidi-request@w3.org



This is a somewhat vague question, and also rather late, given that 
MathML3 is as good as finished (it's a Proposed Recommendation), but I 
just wondered if anybody has thought about math...

The html-bidi[1] draft talks about requirements on HTML and CSS. It 
doesn't mention MathML, although the current MathML also has bidi 
support. And in the current plans for HTML5, MathML will be an integral 
part of the HTML language.

Are there no additional requirements on MathML?


The problem of bidi isolation at least doesn't seem to occur in MathML:

Section 3.1.5[2] of MathML3 describes the bidi features of MathML. It is 
possible to set the overall direction of a formula as well as the base 
direction of individual tokens.

Changing the overall direction acts almost like a mirror, e.g., "a + b" 
is written as "b + a" and superscripts (a²) are written on the left of 
their base (²a).

Tokens are symbols (+, =), numbers (12, 0.5), letters (x, y), words 
(sin, cos), or phrases ("such that," "theorem 1"). Setting a direction 
on tokens should rarely be needed, the inherited direction and the 
Unicode bidi algorithm are usually enough.

Unlike in HTML, each token is "directionally isolated" (in the terms of 
html-bidi WD), so a BDI attribute is not needed.


[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/WD-html-bidi-20100304/

[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/MathML3/chapter3.html#presm.bidi




Bert
-- 
  Bert Bos                                ( W 3 C ) http://www.w3.org/

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