Re: [office] proposal: Chart Data Label Auto-Positions

[Patrick Durusau <patrick@durusau.net>]

Lars,

A couple of quick editing comments on the proposal:

Data Label Position

"For the positioning of data labels there are several automatisms."

?automatisms?

Suggest: "...there are several default positions."

I would prefer that over, "....there are several automatic positions." 
since the value "auto" is assumed where no position is specified and to 
say "automatic positions" invites confusion on the part of the reader. 
Default covers what is actually meant.

The following paragraph states:

"When the label position is auto, the chart should use the algorithm 
with the best results for
positioning depending on the chart type."

That seems rather vague to me. It implies that there is more than one 
algorithm that can be chosen depending on the chart type (which I assume 
to be true).

That vagueness is aggravated by the next paragraph:

"Not all chart types support all possible values for this property. In 
such a case the chart type uses the same algorithm as the value auto does."

OK, that's probably true as well but shouldn't we say which chart types 
don't support which possible values?

While I am acutely aware of the separation of content from display that 
is a given for XML encoding of documents, I am also aware that appearing 
to build in certainty, such as "north," "south," etc., while allowing 
applications to decide that for some unspecified type of chart that is 
not a supported value and so it has recourse to some unspecified 
algorithm is a recipe for really divergent display of content by 
different applications.

I guess my point would be that unless we are going to specify layout 
with a layout model and mean *that* layout and no others for conformance 
purposes, then let's not appear to be doing layout when it is merely 
suggested positioning that is under specified and that the application 
can ignore.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Patrick

PS: Note that in the following Example,  "...the effect of the different 
automatisms." should be changed to read: "...the effect of the different 
default positions." with or without further revisions to this proposal.

Lars Oppermann wrote:

> Dear TC members,
>
> I am forwarding the attached roposal created by the 
> OpenOffice.org-Chart development team concerning automatic data label 
> positions in charts for inclusion into OpenDocument 1.2...
>
> Bests,
> Lars
>

-- 
Patrick Durusau
Patrick@Durusau.net
Chair, V1 - Text Processing: Office and Publishing Systems Interface
Co-Editor, ISO 13250, Topic Maps -- Reference Model
Member, Text Encoding Initiative Board of Directors, 2003-2005

Topic Maps: Human, not artificial, intelligence at work!