RE: [dita-adoption] FW: [dita] DITA 1.2 elements needing styling and translatable strings

["Grosso, Paul" <pgrosso@ptc.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Su-Laine Yeo [mailto:su-laine.yeo@justsystems.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, 2010 August 03 18:03
> To: Grosso, Paul; DITA Adoption TC
> Subject: RE: [dita-adoption] FW: [dita] DITA 1.2 elements needing
> styling and translatable strings
> 
> I think it's in the interests of the DITA community to have practical
> consensus on which elements should be displayed with strings that are
> inserted by the processor. For example, if processors don't insert text
> such as "Skill level: " for the <perskill> element, then many writers
> will write "Skill level: " into their content to make it appear in
> output, which is fine until you have a processor that *does*
> automatically insert this text into the element.

I don't know what you mean by "processor".  In my world view,
generated text (aka inserted strings) are specified by a
style sheet under user control, and processors insert strings
depending on what the user's style sheet says.  It's not 
something we can dictate.

We could write a best practices that says, for example, that
one should not put anything like "skill level" into one's
content, but should rather style the <perskill> element so
that is generates the appropriate string.

> 
> I don't object to the Adoption TC writing a paper that discusses
> element semantics without making styling recommendations, however I
> don't  have anything to contribute about this subject beyond what the
> official language reference already says. If we want to produce such a
> document, someone else would have to volunteer to write it.
> 
> W.r.t. process, the DITA TC gave me an action item this morning to
> submit the email below to the Adoption TC for our consideration. It is
> of course up to the Adoption TC to decide what we want to do with the
> idea, regardless of what the DITA TC thinks.

I completely agree--I hope my previous email didn't make it sound
like I thought otherwise.  Since not everyone on the Adoption TC
is on the DITA TC, I just wanted to clarify that the DITA TC was
not necessarily "comfortable with producing a document containing
recommendations on how to style new DITA 1.2 elements" because we
did not have that discussion.

paul

> 
> Best,
> Su-Laine
> 
> 
> 
> From: Grosso, Paul [mailto:pgrosso@ptc.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 1:20 PM
> To: DITA Adoption TC
> Subject: RE: [dita-adoption] FW: [dita] DITA 1.2 elements needing
> styling and translatable strings
> 
> We need to discuss this.  I'm generally not comfortable with
> recommending how to style elements (and the DITA TC did not endorse us
> doing so this morning, it just said this issue wasn't one for the DITA
> TC).
> 
> It might be appropriate for the DITA Adoption TC to write a paper about
> how new DITA 1.2 elements could be used which might touch on possible
> styling, but we need to stop short of "recommended styling".
> 
> paul
> 
> 
> 
> From: Su-Laine Yeo [mailto:su-laine.yeo@justsystems.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, 2010 August 03 15:05
> To: DITA Adoption TC
> Subject: [dita-adoption] FW: [dita] DITA 1.2 elements needing styling
> and translatable strings
> 
> Hello,
> 
> The DITA TC discussed this issue this morning, and concluded that it
> falls more under the mandate of the Adoption TC.
> 
> Is the Adoption TC comfortable with producing a document containing
> recommendations on how to style new DITA 1.2 elements? And if yes, does
> anyone have a draft that can be used as a basis for the document? I
> could probably come up with a draft if needed.
> 
> Cheers,
> Su-Laine
> 
> 
> Su-Laine Yeo
> Solutions Consultant
> JustSystems Canada, Inc.
> Office: 778-327-6356
> syeo@justsystems.com
> www.justsystems.com
> XMetaL Community Forums: http://forums.xmetal.com/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Su-Laine Yeo [mailto:su-laine.yeo@justsystems.com]
> Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 6:43 PM
> To: dita@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [dita] DITA 1.2 elements needing styling and translatable
> strings
> 
> Hi everyone,
> Is there a list of new DITA elements and attributes for which
> processors are expected to apply special styling and/or generated text?
> For example, the new <note="warning"> attribute needs a new string
> which needs to be translated. It seems that many of the new elements
> for Learning & Training and Machine Industry also warrant some kind of
> distinctive appearance, otherwise adopters will wonder why they are
> bothering to use them.
> Who is responsible for coming up with this list - the DITA TC , the
> DITA Adoption TC, or each team that develops a DITA processor?
> Su-Laine
> Su-Laine Yeo
> Solutions Consultant
> JustSystems Canada, Inc.
> Office: 778-327-6356
> syeo@justsystems.com
> www.justsystems.com
> XMetaL Community Forums: http://forums.xmetal.com/