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Subject: Spec comment about flagging



Another note cross-posted to dita and dita-comment.

The startflag and endflag elements in ditaval are described here:
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/CD01/langspec/langref/ditaval-startflag.html
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/CD01/langspec/langref/ditaval-endflag.html

Both start with "The startflag/endflag takes text or an image reference..."

The provided DTD information contradicts this, indicating that the element
allows one optional <alt-text> element and no text. Allowing text in this
element raises several questions:
* Allowing PCDATA means you can have multiple alt-text elements. What does
more than one alt-text mean?
* What happens if there is an image reference and text?
* What happens if the text is interspersed with alt-text elements?
* Already an unanswered question: what does alt-text mean if there is no
image?

I propose that the information currently in the "Contains" section remain
as it is -- no PCDATA, optional alt-text -- and that the element
description be updated as follows:
The startflag takes an optional image reference and an optional alt-text
element for identifying the beginning of flagged content. If an image is
specified, the specified image will be used to flag the content, with the
alt-text contents as alternative text. If alt-text is specified without an
image, that text will be used to flag the content instead of an image. If
no image and no alt-text are specified, then this element has no defined
purpose. The element is allowed inside either prop or revprop.

This makes the syntax cleaner and clears up the four questions above. The
same change would be made for <endflag>.

Robert D Anderson
IBM Authoring Tools Development
Chief Architect, DITA Open Toolkit
(507) 253-8787, T/L 553-8787



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