dita message

Subject: indexterms and "excluding nested topics"

From: "Grosso, Paul" <pgrosso@ptc.com>
To: <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 15:24:45 -0400

In the writeup for index-range-start, we say:

 Due to the potential for orphaned range markers during
 map assembly, page ranges cannot span topics at the topic
 level. Index ranges that start within a topic must end in
 the same topic, excluding nested topics. 

I'm not sure what the above sentences mean.

Are we saying that ranges can start and end anyplace 
within a "top level topic"--irrespective of any 
substructure including any contained (and therefore 
non-top level) topics--where a "top level topic" is 
a topic or any specialization thereof that has no 
ancestor that is a topic or any specialization thereof?

Assuming so, then I gather that any of the following 
would still be allowed:

<topic>
<body>
<indexterm>A<index-range-start/></indexterm>
<topic>
<p>CdefXYZ.</p>
</topic>
<indexterm>A<index-range-end/></indexterm>
</body>
</topic>

<topic>
<body>
<indexterm>A<index-range-start/></indexterm>
<topic>
<p>Cdef<indexterm>A<index-range-end/></indexterm>XYZ.</p>
</topic>
</body>
</topic>

<topic>
<body>
<topic>
<p>Cdef<indexterm>A<index-range-start/></indexterm>XYZ.</p>
</topic>
<task>
<p>Cdef<indexterm>A<index-range-end/></indexterm>XYZ.</p>
</task>
</body>
</topic>

But what wouldn't be allowed would include:

<dita>
<topic>
<p>Cdef<indexterm>A<index-range-start/></indexterm>XYZ.</p>
</topic>
<topic>
<p>Cdef<indexterm>A<index-range-end/></indexterm>XYZ.</p>
</topic>
</dita>

Am I understanding our proposed meaning correctly?

paul