RE: [dita] Is this correct?

[Robert D Anderson <robander@us.ibm.com>]

Hi Paul - you may be expecting my response here, because I've spoken up
before, but I will be even less helpful this time around.

I can't really say what the name attribute does, which seems to indicate
that we need to fix the spec.

The object came straight out of HTML, to allow people to code HTML objects.
So, the definition presumably would point back to HTML. Tracking down the
definition in the HTML Spec, I come to this description for <object>:
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/struct/objects.html#h-13.3

which points here for @name:
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/interact/forms.html#adef-name-INPUT

which says "this attribute assigns the control name." Controls are used for
forms, as described here:
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/interact/forms.html#control-name

I've never coded object elements on my own (in DITA or in HTML), so I've
never used any of the attributes. I also can't really say whether the
example I gave before is a valid use of the attribute - I just asked some
authors if they'd used it, and was pointed to that one. I was hoping
somebody with more <object> experience would speak up, but...

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


                                                                           
             "Paul Prescod"                                                
             <paul.prescod@bla                                             
             stradius.com>                                              To 
                                       Robert D                            
             03/08/2006 01:03          Anderson/Rochester/IBM@IBMUS        
             PM                                                         cc 
                                       <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>         
                                                                   Subject 
                                       RE: [dita] Is this correct?         
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           




> From: Robert D Anderson [mailto:robander@us.ibm.com]
> Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 10:57 AM
>
> I know of one case where <object> is used with the name
> attribute -- you can find it in the Java Apiref
> specialization plugin for the toolkit, in the doc/ directory.
> Here's an example from those files:
>
> <object
>    classid="clsid:adb880a6-d8ff-11cf-9377-00aa003b7a11"
>    codebase="hhctrl.ocx#Version=4,73,8412,0"
>    codetype="VIEWASTEXT"
>    height="100"
>    id="hhctrl"
>    name="Sample"
>    type="application/x-oleobject"
>    width="100">
>
> It's used this way several times. I don't know that I've seen
> anybody else using the attribute.

But what does the name attribute _do_?

According to the DITA specification it is for forms, but DITA does not
have forms.

http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.0/langspec/object.html

 Paul Prescod