Re: annotation-xml and annotation encoding

On Dec 21, 2007, at 01:09, Paul Libbrecht wrote:

> we shall update the spec to go in the direction sketched below.
> And bring the table of recommended encoding values in chapter 5

Thanks.

> Applications emitting MathML should, when outputting the encoding  
> attribute of the annotation or annotation-xml children of the  
> semantics element, either:
>
> 1- use one of the names listed in this spec, if applicable
> 2- use a mime-type if one exists for the data
> 3- use a namespace URI if this URI is the namespace URI of the  
> single root child of an annotation-xml that is being output
> 4- use an self-decided character string
>
> Note that the encoding attribute value of case 4 does not impact the  
> XML parsing architecture which still needs appropriate xmlns  
> declarations.

I think that formulation is still problematic.

For annotation-xml, it doesn't explain what value the encoding  
attribute provides over the namespace of the child element. Wouldn't  
it be better to suggest that legacy generators continue to be allowed  
to use an encoding attribute on annotation-xml but it must be ignored  
by consuming apps and the namespace of the child must be used for  
dispatching instead (and suggest that new generators omit the  
attribute)?

For annotation, point 3 is not applicable. With point 2, it should  
probably be clarified whether a MIME type is appropriate for  
fragments. It seems to me, that e.g. the value TeX is not used for  
labeling a full TeX program but a fragment of TeX source that one  
would use inside a larger TeX program. If one uses similar fragments  
of another language and the other language has a MIME type for full  
files, should the MIME type or a self-decided string per point 4 be  
used for fragments?

-- 
Henri Sivonen
hsivonen@iki.fi
http://hsivonen.iki.fi/

Received on Saturday, 22 December 2007 14:32:09 UTC