RE: Understanding the Paoli proposal

You cannot expect a paragraph to look right in all applications
because an application, by definition, has the right to do whatever
it want with your data.
However, our job is to define properly the input we are giving 
to such applications: such input comes as the output of the XML parser.
The proposal that I did defines the output of the XML parser:
-1/ All CR/LF/whitespaces are restituted or transformed using Delenda
Est
and go as the output of the XML parser
-2/In addition, the author can communicate its intend, where he think
whitespaces/CR/LF
are important (such in PRE elements) by writing <PRE
-XML-SPACE=PRESERVE>
PRESERVE could also be used in semantical elements corresponding for
example
to quotations or poem where you do not want the text to be munged for
formatting purpose.

Response to your first question:

I would not use PRESERVE as you used it in
><P -XML-SPACE=PRESERVE>If I want this <B>paragraph</B> <I>to look right</I>
>in all applications</P>
because you expect the formatter of your application to "take care" of
formatting of your 
paragraph.

Your second question was about turning PRESERVE on an element-content.
We have not discussed yet, if, in the case of adopting RE Delenda, we
still -in XML- delete white spaces
in element-content in a validating parser.


>----------
>From: 	Paul Prescod[SMTP:papresco@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca]
>Sent: 	Friday, December 13, 1996 5:35 PM
>To: 	'w3c-sgml-wg@w3.org'
>Subject: 	Understanding the Paoli proposal
>
>At 02:11 PM 12/13/96 -0800, Jean Paoli wrote:
>>this is why I was saying that the current XML spec was more convenient
>>that the one I proposed in my mail: every application can decide how to 
>>deal with this. The authorial intent  has not been expressed here.
>
>I'm getting lost in all of these proposals and amendments. If I want this
>paragraph to look "right" in all applications, what do I do:
>
><P>If I want this <B>paragraph</B> <I>to look right</I> in all
>applications</P>
>
>or
>
><P -XML-SPACE=PRESERVE>If I want this <B>paragraph</B> <I>to look right</I>
>in all applications</P>
>
>My understanding is the latter, because the former gives applications the
>right to "arbitrarily" remove whitespace, and between the B and the I might
>well look like a reasonable place to do so.
>
>What happens if I turn "on" PRESERVE mode in element content. Should a
>validating parser tell me that my authorial intent is in contravention of my
>DTD? Should it just silently eat the whitespaces despite my authorial
>intent? Should it return a grove that is not valid according to the DTD?
>
>Thanks for any enlightenment,
>
> Paul Prescod
>
>

Received on Friday, 13 December 1996 23:47:21 UTC