Re: [dita] Indirection, Keyref, and "Logical Name Reference" Requirements

["W. Eliot Kimber" <ekimber@innodata-isogen.com>]

W. Eliot Kimber wrote:

> 3. Referencing an ultimate target by reference to an invariant address 
> that is resolved to different targets based on resolution-time 
> parameters provided to the resolution processor. For example references 
> to graphics where the specific graphic object is determined based on the 
> target output format (HTML or PDF) and possibly other parameters 
> (national language, etc.).

This use case is different from use case 2 in that the selector used to 
determine the value a given name resolves to is provided at processing 
time rather than being a static property of the content itself.

The typical example is selecting a specific version of a graphic based 
on the rendition target. The graphic is referenced by some kind of 
logical name that then resolves to a specific rendering of the graphic 
based on run-time variables such as the rendition target (PDF for print, 
PDF for the Web, HTML for the Web, HTML for help, embedded help for a 
device) or other conditions (expert version vs new user version, 
instructor vs student, etc.)

Like the "logical name" mechanism described previously, the resolution 
is done by reference to some sort of external (to the document being 
processed) database that maps logical names to specific values based on 
specific properties specified at run time.

Of course, the two mechanisms could be combined, such that the database 
lookup is a function of both static properties at the point of reference 
(national language) and dynamic properties specified at run time 
(rendition target, audience, etc.).

The keyref proposal may be able to address the dynamic aspect of this 
requirement by taking advantage of DITA's generic conditional processing 
mechanism.

Cheers,

Eliot
-- 
W. Eliot Kimber
Professional Services
Innodata Isogen
8500 N. Mopac, Suite 402
Austin, TX 78759
(214) 954-5198

ekimber@innodata-isogen.com
www.innodata-isogen.com