[Bug 5095] inter-document references defined inconsistently

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=5095

           Summary: inter-document references defined inconsistently
           Product: SML
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Windows XP
            Status: NEW
          Keywords: needsAgreement
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: Core+Interchange Format
        AssignedTo: cmsmcq@w3.org
        ReportedBy: johnarwe@us.ibm.com
         QAContact: public-sml@w3.org


SML spec section 4 Schemas has
http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-sml-20070926/#Schemas
"References – XML Schema does not have any support for inter-document
references, although it does support intra-document references through xs:ID,
xs:IDREF, xs:key and xs:keyref. Inter-document references are fundamental to
SML since a document is a unit of versioning. SML extends XML Schema to support
inter-document references and a set of constraints on inter-document
references."
Scattered other places (section 1, appendix C) refer to this term as well, but
4 definitely has the bulk of the search hits.

SMLIF spec 3.4.2 has
http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-sml-if-20070926/#Definition_of_inter-document_references_in_SML-IF
"[Definition: In the context of SML-IF, an inter-document reference is any
content in a document in the interchange set whose type is xs:anyURI or a type
derived from xs:anyURI and whose context in the document implies that the URI
can (given the right permissions and connectivity) be dereferenced using the
default retrieval action for the URI's scheme.]"

It will completely confuse readers to see the same term used with different
definitions in such closely related specs.  In SML it appears the term is used
in an informal human sense only, so I would weed it out of the SML spec.

Proposal:
Where SML mentions inter-document references today, change that to either SML
reference or cross-document reference depending upon the context.  Where it
contrasts with intra-document references, replace leave the intra- term
unchanged.

SML section 1 change (2 places)
"...extensions to XML Schema to support inter-document references." 
to
"...extensions to XML Schema to support cross-document references." 

SML appendix C change (1 place) 
"- inter-document references" to 
"- cross-document references"

SML section 4.0 change (4 places)
"inter-document references" to "cross-document references"

SML section 4.1 change (4 places)
"inter-document references" to "cross-document references"
and (1 place)
"define ... constraints across        inter-document references"
to
"define ... constraints that traverse cross-document references"

SML section 4.4 change (1 place)
"inter-document references" to "cross-document references"

Received on Sunday, 30 September 2007 15:26:52 UTC