another vote for spans

From:	OXVAXD::LOU          "Lou Burnard" 10-MAR-1997 15:10:43.51
To:	MX%"Peter@ursus.demon.co.uk"
CC:	LOU
Subj:	Re: 4.5 TEI Extended Pointer Locators?

While I don't share Peter's desire to include all the TEI location mechanisms
in the XML spec (as already indicated, I think I would add only TOKEN and
possibly PATTERN to the grove-based ones already proposed), I would like the
ERB to reconsider its decision to disallow the spanning mechanism defined by
echte TEI x-pointers.

It seems to me that the ability to point/link/target not just "that blort" or
"blort number 3" but also "everything from blort no 3 to blort number 12" is an
extremely useful and intuitively simple requirement. The whole point of using
extended pointers is to cater for the unexpected, unmarked up, and not
necessarily hierarchically well-formed in a document, which this very simple
mechanism gives you, at no extra cost, as well as the ability to point to
entirely natural concepts like "the first six paragraphs of this book",
"chapters 12 to 14", etc. I don't believe that it adds much to complexity of
implementation -- you only have to be able to proceed sequentially through a
document from one location to another -- and it certainly doesn't add much to
the complexity of understanding.

So how about it ERB?

(I would however strongly support any proposal for a less confusing pair of
attribute names than FROM and TO, if only I could think of them)

Lou

Received on Monday, 10 March 1997 10:14:17 UTC