Re: [dita] Why There are Constraints on Conref

[Joann Hackos <joann.hackos@comtech-serv.com>]

Su-Laine is asking the same question I'm concerned about. We need a simple
answer. I'm having a hard time with the arcane details.

Is DITA 1.2 going to mess up all the conrefs we have set up in DITA 1.1
between ditabase or topic and Task?

JoAnn


On 9/25/09 8:24 PM, "Su-Laine Yeo" <su-laine.yeo@justsystems.com> wrote:

> I'm having one of those, "this can't be right" moments. Either I've
> completely misunderstood something or we have a problem.
> 
> Consider this very common use of conref: You have a list of product
> names, with each product name in a <ph> element. Your <ph> elements that
> contain product names are all stored in a <topic> element within a
> product names file, which uses the ditabase DTD. With DITA 1.1 you can
> conref those product names into any topic type.
> 
> Say you have a task written in DITA 1.1 which includes a conref pointing
> to a product name in the product names file. What is going to happen
> when you upgrade your DTDs to DITA 1.2? If I understand the way
> constraints on conref are supposed to work, that conref is going to be
> considered invalid even though <ph> has exactly the same content model
> in <task> as it does in <topic>. Is that correct?
> 
> Regards,
> Su-Laine
> 
> Su-Laine Yeo
> Interaction Design Specialist
> JustSystems Canada, Inc.
> Office: 778-327-6356
> syeo@justsystems.com
> www.justsystems.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ekimber [mailto:ekimber@reallysi.com]
> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 3:53 PM
> To: JoAnn Hackos; Su-Laine Yeo; Michael Priestley; rob@ascan.ca
> Cc: dita; Ogden, Jeff
> Subject: Re: [dita] Why There are Constraints on Conref
> 
> On 9/25/09 5:31 PM, "JoAnn Hackos" <joann.hackos@comtech-serv.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> Are we clear in saying that one cannot conref between Task and General
>> Task at all? or only from Task to General Task? Is it possible to
> conref
>> from General Task to Task?
>> 
>> From loose to more constrained, will the conref work?
>> So can I conref a prereq from General Task to a prereq to Task but not
>> vice versa? 
>> 
>> But, I cannot conref a <step> from Task to General Task even though
> they
>> are in both models?
>> 
>> Would someone please state all the use cases simply? I'm trying to be
>> clear in writing the arch spec and the feature description and I'm
> still
>> confused by all the rhetoric being flung around.
> 
> Give a strict task and a general task:
> 
> 1. Can conref elements from strict task into general task
> 2. Cannot conref elements from general task into strict task
> 
> That is, you can *always* conref more-constrained elements into
> less-constrained elements. You can *never* conref less-constrained
> elements
> into more-constrained elements.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Eliot
> ----
> Eliot Kimber | Senior Solutions Architect | Really Strategies, Inc.
> email:  ekimber@reallysi.com <mailto:ekimber@reallysi.com>
> office: 610.631.6770 | cell: 512.554.9368
> 2570 Boulevard of the Generals | Suite 213 | Audubon, PA 19403
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