Re: auto-numbering in CSS (was: content property)

Douglas Rand wrote:
> I don't like that either.  It doesn't allow me to have a set of things
> which are numbered which don't relate to a flat section of the document
> tree.  

Not true at all:

element-number( Figure in HTML )

Now figures can be anywhere in the HTML document.

element-number( Footnote in SECTION )

Now footnotes can be anywhere in the section.

> I'm sure I could do it by writing LISP code,  but that doesn't
> seem elegant at all to me.

Well, I've never heard Lisp being accused of being inelegant before, but
I don't think that anybody suggested Lisp. The mechanism comes from
DSSSL which uses a fully parenthesized syntax. The syntax can be adapted
however you want. I think that the syntax above is rather elegant,
myself.
 
> What I'd like is a set of named counters and some sort of formatting
> language for combining these into output patterns.  Something where
> I could type something human readable like:  %chapter.%section
> 
> Comments?

I listed five problems with named counters under a message titled
"Please No Counters". If you are still not convinced of the elegance of
this solution which requires no declarations whatsoever, and handles
recursion perfectly, (which global named counters cannot) then please
address those 5 concerns. I can re-forward the message if it helps.

 Paul Prescod

Received on Thursday, 8 May 1997 18:45:26 UTC