Re: 7. Attribute remapping?

At 12:33 4/3/97 -0800, Tim Bray wrote:
>We have decided that we will allow the use of any old GI's on XML linking
>elements, identifying by the use of reserved attribute names and values.
>We will be specifying the use of some attributes to support XML linking.
>Do we need to allow them to be remapped as well, so that when an
>HTML doc says HREF= and a TEI doc says PTR=, they can mean the same
>thing?
>
This is essential if we want to import existing data.

>If we don't do this, then either we call all locator attributes HREF=
>or we take a terrible loss in selling this to the web-folk.

And then we cannot use ID/IDREF for locators!

>If we do do this, we add substantial complexity to the spec and
>the processing model.

Why "substantial"? All we are talking about is a simple one-to-one look-up
table.

>
>Eve suggested a mechanism for this in 
>
> http://www.doctools.com/xml-link.html
>
>This involves pulling apart lists of things in attribute values.  Yecch.

Whats so difficult about processing a list of matched pairs of values to
create look-up table entries?

>The obvious alternative is simply to have an arcform-like attribute
>for every attribute we want to remap. 

This would be twice as much work as you would need a table of arcform names
as well as the resulting lookup table.

 
----
Martin Bryan, The SGML Centre, Churchdown, Glos. GL3 2PU, UK 
Phone/Fax: +44 1452 714029   WWW home page: http://www.sgml.u-net.com/

Received on Wednesday, 5 March 1997 10:58:49 UTC