Hi,
The original straw-man proposal for the troubleshooting topic that I sent last April was a specialization of topic that featured these three specializations of section: cause, condition, and remedy.
The content model for troublebody was body.cnt followed by an optional, repeatable mix of cause, condition, and remedy.
The content model for cause and condition was identical to that of section. The content model for remedy was the content model for section with the steps element added to the mix. The sticking point was that no architecturally valid method would allow the steps element to be appropriated from task.mod for use in the new troubleshooting topic.
In July I introduced a revised straw-man proposal that used task as the specialization base rather than topic. This approach was inferior because it encouraged writers to use nested topic to document troubleshooting scenarios with fallback remedies.
Last week, Michael Priestley finished his preliminary investigation into the feasibility of providing a mechanism in the architecture whereby elements, such as steps, used in one structural specialization could be appropriated by another structural specialization. If I understand his findings correctly, we should be able jettison the revised straw-man proposal from July and revert to the original straw-man proposal from last April. This is exciting news!
I have attached the original straw-man proposal from last April for reference. Clearly, the non-compliant troubleshooting.dtd will have to be revised to comply with the yet-to-be-specified mechanism for porting the steps element from the task specialization into the troubleshooting specialization. I will do this once the design pattern has been defined.
Meanwhile, once we are sure that the content model for remedy is viable under the revision Michael has proposed, we should consider proceeding with proposal process.
Best Regards,
Bob Thomas
+1 720 201 8260
Skype: bob.thomas.colorado
Instant messaging: Gmail chat (
bob.thomas@tagsmiths.com) or Skype
Time zone: Mountain (GMT-7)