link relationships

It is my understanding that the <code>rel</code> and <code>rev</code> 
attributes of the <code>a</code> and <code>link</code> elements describe 
relationships in two directions.  The <code>rel</code> attribute 
describes a relationship in which the document making the relationship 
has the relation described by the value of the <code>rel</code> 
attribute.  The <code>rev</code> attribute would be the opposite in 
which the document defined by the relation (<code>href</code> attribute) 
is described by the attribute's value.

That is the case with the informatively defined and often given example:
<blockcode>
<link href="mailto:webmaster@domain.com" rev="made">
</blockcode>

In that example, the webmaster@domain.com made the page, not the other 
way around.  However, it seems that that relationship semantic breaks 
down when stylesheets are introduced.  The normatively defined and often 
given example for linking a stylesheet seems to ignore or break these 
semantics:
<blockcode>
<link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet">
</blockcode>

If this is interpreted using the normative semantics of the 
<code>rel</code> and <code>rev</code> attributes as I understand them, 
this relationship says that the file style.css is styled by the calling 
document.  However, this is not the case in usage and in the example.

Is my understanding correct and common implementation as well as that 
example incorrect, or is it the other way around?  I would like to know 
because I am putting together a page that acts as a demonstration of how 
things <em>should</em> be with no regard for conformance of the user agent.

References:
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/links.html#rev-link
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/present/styles.html#style-external

-- 
Brant Langer Gurganus
Write me a message if you're happy.

Received on Saturday, 5 July 2003 01:03:48 UTC