Re: Definition "content" :PLEASE DEFINE

Just a reminder: UAAG 1.0 doesn't use "content" to mean 
"information". It means the document object. I've mentioned
this previously and Al pointed out that it's ok to have
several definitions in different documents. For UAAG 1.0,
content includes everything in the document object.

  - Ian


Charles McCathieNevile wrote:

> Good topic...
> 
> There are several uses of content in play.
> 
> One is "element content" in the strict XML sense - the stuff between an
> opening tag and its closing tag, which may include elements (e.g. for the
> content of an HTML head element it is required for validity to include a
> title element)
> 
> Another is the information contained in an element, which will include
> attribute values. I suggest we use the longer form "information contained in
> an element"
> 
> Then there is the content of a document.
> 
> This includes information contained in elements, and may also include a more
> abstract notion of "the information a document is conveying".
> 
> This is an important difference. It is not required at the moment that all
> the information contained in all the elements of a document be in an
> accessible form, although UAAG requires that a user can get any of the
> information contained in any element of the document (by some means).
> 
> WCAG does require that "the information a document is conveying" is all
> available in an accessible form.
> 
> For example, the following code fragment
> 
>   <object data="image" type="image/png">
>     There is a very close correspondence between the average maximum daily
>     temparature in Melbourne and how close the date is to mid-February.
>   <object>
> 
> probably includes information in a purely graphical format, and information
> in a purely textual format. Neither of these pieces of information is by
> itself accessible, at least in terms of triple-A conformance to WCAG 1.0.
> However the information being conveyed, by being available in two forms,
> probably is.
> 
> I suggest we use four different terms:
> 
> "information provided by an element": The element content, and any additional
> information referred to by attributes of an element. In HTML, this includes
> such things as objects referred to by an object or img element, alternative
> text included in an alt attribute, the information provided by title
> attributes, and the text or information inside an element such as a p, a, or
> code element.
> 
> "element content": The text or other elements contained between the opening
> tag and the closing tag of an element in an XML or XML-like language.
> 
> "document content": All the text, elements and data contained in a document,
> or referred to by elements contained in a document.
> 
> "information conveyed by a document": The essential content which the author
> considers the document is conveying. This may duplicated in a document, for
> example by having textual versions and references to graphic representations
> in teh same document content.
> 
> Chaals
> 
> On Sun, 20 Jan 2002, Katie Haritos-Shea wrote:
> 
>   On to our second definition to define.  "Content" must have a definition
>   soon, this is most critical for WCAG 2.0 and related Technique
>   docs...............there was quite a bit of discussion on several
>   occassions about content on different lists...............I'll go
>   hunting for that now...........but please don't wait for
>   that...............fire away............
> 
>   I have included existing definitions and discussions of terms, in this
>   order below:
> 
>   	0. <katie suggests>
>   	1. WAI Printable Glossary (with W3C sources)
>   	2. From External (non-w3c) Glossaries
>   	3. Mail References for "content" from various w3c lists
> 
> 
> 
>   ...........and just to fire off the first shot............
> 
>   <katie suggests, the ISO def with some elementary clarification and WCAG
>   draft cyber-mix>
> 
>   content:
> 
>   The code characters that occur between the start-tag and end-tag in a
>   document instance are the element's content.
>   They can be interpreted as data, proper subelements, included
>   subelements, other markup, or a mixture of them. This character content
>   can include text as well as images, text in raster images, image map
>   regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic
>   objects, ascii art, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers,
>   graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction),
>   stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
> 
>   NOTE: If an element has an explicit content reference, or its declared
>   content is "EMPTY", the content is empty. In such cases, the application
>   itself may generate data and process it as though it were content data.
>   (ISO 8879, as referenced in ISO 12083)
>   </katie suggests>
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   ..........................
> 
>   WAI Printable Glossary
>   http://WWW.w3.org/WAI/GL/Glossary/printable.html#def-content1
> 
>   Content [ATAG10]
>   In this specification, the term "content" is used in two ways:
> 
>   Content refers to the document object as a whole or in parts. Phrases
>   such as "content type", "text content", and "language of content" refer
>   to this usage. When used in this sense, the term content encompasses
>   equivalent alternatives. Refer also to the definition of rendered
>   content. and other accessibility information.
>   Content refers to the content of an HTML or XML element, in the sense
>   employed by the XML 1.0 specification ( XML, section 3.1): "The text
>   between the start-tag and end-tag is called the element's content."
>   Context should indicate that the term content is being used in this
>   sense.
> 
> 
>   Content [UAAG10] NEW 01-01-25
>   In this specification, the term "content" is used in three ways:
> 
>   Content refers to the document object as a whole or in parts. Phrases
>   such as "content type", "text content", and "language of content" refer
>   to this usage. When used in this sense, the term content encompasses
>   equivalent alternatives. Refer also to the definition of rendered
>   content. and other accessibility information.
>   Content refers to the content of an HTML or XML element, in the sense
>   employed by the XML 1.0 specification ( XML, section 3.1): "The text
>   between the start-tag and end-tag is called the element's content."
>   Context should indicate that the term content is being used in this
>   sense.
>   Content is used in the context of the phrases non-text content and text
>   content.
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   ............................
> 
>   >From External (non-w3c) Glossaries:
> 
> 
>   ISO  International Standards
>   http://www.niso.org/international/SC4/sc4gla2c.html
> 
>   content: Characters that occur between the start-tag and end-tag of an
>   element in a document instance. They can be interpreted as data, proper
>   subelements, included subelements, other markup, or a mixture of them.
>   NOTE: If an element has an explicit content reference, or its declared
>   content is "EMPTY", the content is empty. In such cases, the application
>   itself may generate data and process it as though it were content data.
>   (ISO 8879, as referenced in ISO 12083)
> 
>   content convention: An application convention governing data content,
>   such as a restriction on length, allowable characters, or use of
>   tipper-case and lower-case letters. NOTE: A content convention is
>   essentially an informal data content notation, usually restricted to a
>   single element type. (ISO 8879, as referenced in ISO 12083)
> 
>   (content) model: Parameter of an element declaration that specifies the
>   model group and exceptions that define the allowed content of the
>   element. (ISO 8879, as referenced in ISO 12083)
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   .............................
> 
>   Content-Wire.com Glossary:
>   http://www.content-wire.com/Glossary/Index.cfm
> 
>   Aggregation (of online content)
>   Online aggregation is the process of gathering and storing content from
>   various sources, that it gets sorted and distributed according to rules,
>   preferences or levels of service. Aggregation is based on a 'pull'
>   dynamic, and it is generally the first process of a syndication routine,
>   which is a 'push' dynamic.
> 
>   Content
>   Raw information becomes content when it is given a useable form intended
>   for one or more purposes. Increasingly, the value of content is based
>   upon the combination of its primary useable form, along with its
>   application, accessibility, usage, usefulness, brand recognition, and
>   uniqueness. Information passed casually around in the world is not
>   content. It becomes content when we grab it and try to make some use of
>   it. (Content Watch) Also the emerging industry driven by monetization
>   business models, that leverages the value of content and it is online
>   exchange dynamics. (Content-wire)
> 
>   Content Delivery
>   On the Internet, content delivery (aka content distribution or caching)
>   is the process of copying the pages of a Web site to geographically
>   dispersed servers and, when a page is requested, dynamically identifying
>   and serving the page from the closest server to the user, enabling
>   faster delivery. High-traffic Web site owners and Internet service
>   providers (ISPs) hire the services of the company that provides content
>   delivery. A common content delivery approach involves the placement of
>   cache servers at major Internet access points around the world and the
>   use of a special routing code that redirects a Web page request
>   (technically, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol - HTTP - request) to the
>   closest server. When the Web user clicks on a URL that is
>   content-delivery enabled, the content delivery network re-routes that
>   user's request away from the site's originating server to a cache server
>   closer to the user. The cache server determines what content in the
>   request exists in the cache, serves that content, and retrieves any
>   non-cached content from the originating server. New content is also
>   cached locally. Other than faster loading times, the process is
>   generally transparent to the user, except that the URL served may be
>   different than the one requested. Content delivery can also be used for
>   specific high-traffic events such as live Web broadcasts by continually
>   dispersing content from the originating server to other servers via
>   satellite links. Content delivery is similar to but more selective and
>   dynamic than the simple copying or mirroring of a Web site to one or
>   several geographically dispersed servers. (Definition by Cdd/101,
>   masters of content delivery knowledge)
> 
>   Content Management
>   The concept of Content Management has evolved very rapidly towards the
>   end of the last millennium. The very first definitions were not making a
>   clear distinction between Document, Knowledge and Content Management,
>   while evolutionary thinking establishes that the three disciplines above
>   are connected but distinct. Content-wire glossary is temporarily
>   adopting the definition proposed by Content-Bridge Alliance, until
>   further elaboration is available: In its purest form, Content Management
>   is simply a set of rules and processes for contributing, collaborating
>   on and controlling content. It may include document management through
>   common workflows, media management based on a centralized contentbase
>   and common tools for content creation and publishing. In its broadest
>   sense, Content Management is a combination of software tools and
>   business processes that allow corporations to effectively manage and
>   deliver large amounts of diverse information to different media in the
>   most effective means.
> 
>   Original Content
>   Unique work of the Mind. It is manifest in works of art, and in most
>   expressions of the intellectual and creative human activities (when
>   functioning properly). The manipulation and contextualization of known
>   news and facts, once expressed in a unique form or manner, are also
>   original content. Years of controversy surround the definition or
>   'unique' and 'original', and require highly specialized legal technical
>   skills to assess merit in matters of copyright and intellectual property
>   law. Original Content is key to new economy business models.
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   ...........................
> 
>   Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary:
>   http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
> 
>   4con·tent
>   Pronunciation: 'kän-"tent
>   Function: noun
>   Etymology: Middle English, from Latin contentus, past participle of
>   continEre to contain
>   Date: 15th century
>   1 a : something contained -- usually used in plural <the jar's contents>
>   <the drawer's contents> b : the topics or matter treated in a written
>   work <table of contents>
>   2 a : SUBSTANCE, GIST b : MEANING, SIGNIFICANCE c : the events, physical
>   detail, and information in a work of art -- compare FORM 10b
>   3 a : the matter dealt with in a field of study b : a part, element, or
>   complex of parts
>   4 : the amount of specified material contained : PROPORTION
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   .........................
> 
>   INTRODUCTION to Metadata:
>   http://www.getty.edu/research/institute/standards/intrometadata/4_glossa
>   ry/index.html
> 
>   content model
>   A schema that defines data (including metadata) structures, including
>   the types of elements, subelements, and values they can contain.
> 
>   content standard
>   Standard authorities or sets of rules that determine the vocabulary,
>   syntax, or format of what is entered into a data or metadata element,
>   e.g., Art & Architecture Thesaurus, Library of Congress Subject
>   Headings, Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, or Archives, Personal Papers,
>   and Manuscripts.
> 
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   .........................
> 
> 
>   ZEBRA Glossary:
>   http://www.unt.edu/wmoen/Z3950/GIZMO/appendix_d.htm
> 
>   Content semantics: Standardized data model with shared semantic
>   knowledge for specific communities. Include both rules and structures
>   for maintaining a shared understanding of semantic knowledge. Z sets out
>   standardized record syntax and related record composition parameters.
> 
>   Content resources: Includes the acquisition of a collection of
>   bibliographic or other information object records (such as digital
>   images or museum objects) to serve as the test collection.
> 
> 
> 
>   Shared Skills
>   http://www.sharedskills.com/glossary_c.htm#content
> 
>   content
>   Anything, including other elements, character data, and entities, found
>   between the START and END tags of an element.
> 
>   content-based markup
>   Markup that describes content intended to be read and processed by a
>   computer to accomplish a task instead of displayed for a user. The Open
>   Software Description (OSD) vocabulary, which is designed to describe
>   software packages to be installed by a server across a network, is an
>   example of content-based markup.
> 
>   content model
>   In a DTD, the definition of the content (Element or character) that can
>   be nested within any given element.
> 
> 
> 
>   Telecom Glossary
>   http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/projects/t1glossary2000/_content.html
> 
>   content: In Web terminology, the text, media, and links or information
>   displayed by a browser at a particular Web site. [Bahorsky]
> 
> 
> 
>   SIRSI
>   http://www.sirsi.com/glossary.html
> 
>   Content -- Common term for information or knowledge managed and shared
>   over the Internet
> 
> 
> 
>   ........................................................................
>   ............................
> 
>   Mail References for "content":
>   From:  Sean P.
> 
>   "Really, "Web Content" should be used to indicate any network
>   retrievable "Web Resource" [2], but I think that WCAG uses it in the
>   sense of "content suitable for use in a hypermedia environment", i.e.
>   anything that can be handled by HTTP."
>    http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/wai-xtech/2001May/0019.html
> 
> 
>   From: Ian Jacobs
> 
>   UAAG 1.0 uses "content = document object".
>   http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/wai-xtech/2001May/0036.html
>   "it would seem that
>   content is what you get back as the manifestation of a resource"
>   http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/wai-xtech/2001May/0042.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   Katie Haritos-Shea
> 
>   Internet/Software/Device Accessibility and Standards
>   Strategist/Developer/Evangelist
> 
>   #571-220-7777
> 
> 
> 
> 


-- 
Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                     +1 718 260-9447

Received on Monday, 21 January 2002 09:03:42 UTC