Re: Can we be more concrete?

At 03:32 PM 12/30/96 -0800, Terry Allen wrote:
>Eliot replies to Len:

>| Assuming that XML provides/supports/requires indirect addressing, then you
>| should be able to use the #name syntax to address a location address that
>| is a query, e.g.:
>| 
>| <crossref linkend="http://www.mine.com/queries.xml#all-basset-sites">
>| Basset hounds</crossref> are slobber monsters.
>| 
>| <!-- queries.xml: -->
>| <!DOCTYPE Queries SYSTEM "queries.dtd" >
>| <Queries>
>| <AltaVistaQuery id=all-basset-sites>basset+hound</AltaVistaQuery>
>| </Queries>
>
>Yes, assuming that you proclaim that it is part of the XML MIME
>type that unqualified fragment addressing into XML entities points to IDs
>(not controversial, but I think a necessary step).  And this
>is a good start on a scenario.

Yes, that's my assumption. 

>So, what indicates the semantics of the link to the query?  It isn't
>the HTTP method.   Is it the semantics of <crossref>?  

In the HyTime model, it's the semantics of addresses in general: that any
reference to a location address is a reference to whatever the location
address addresses (recursed until you either get only non-location
addresses, reach the "reflevel" limit, or have a circular reference).  This
behavior of addresses is independent of linking (in other words, the same
address resolution behavior would result from an ID reference that was not
a "link" as we're defining it here).

                                                   What 
>indicates whether the query shall be displayed per se,
>the result of the query shall be trancluded (and in what 
>format), or the result of the query shall be presented as
>a menu list, or the most desireable (per some set of preferences)
>of the list results shall be traversed to?

That would be the semantics of Crossref and/or the refsub anchor role
and/or the data addressed by the query and/or whatever the browser chooses
to do.  The semantics could be defined in the XML link spec or in a style
sheet or some combination thereof.  Certainly XML could provide attributes
for hinting at the desired behavior if we felt that was appropriate.

Cheers,

E.
--
W. Eliot Kimber (eliot@isogen.com) 
Senior SGML Consulting Engineer, Highland Consulting
2200 North Lamar Street, Suite 230, Dallas, Texas 75202
+1-214-953-0004 +1-214-953-3152 fax
http://www.isogen.com (work) http://www.drmacro.com (home)
"Rats in the morning, rats in the afternoon...if they don't go away, I'll be
re-educated soon..."                 --Austin Lounge Lizards, "1984 Blues"

Received on Monday, 30 December 1996 20:26:01 UTC