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Subject: Proposal 12017 - consistency between map & topic metadata and abstract vs shortdesc


Link to proposal 12017: http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita/download.php/24420/IssueNumber12017.html

With this proposal, the committee is making an effort to increase concistency between maps and topics. However, it also states: The map metadata will still have several elements that are not present in topic prologs: linktext, searchtitle, shortdesc, and (assuming that implementation of item #12018 results in this element) navtitle.
 
With the arrival of abstracts in DITA 1.1 topics, the proposed usage of <abstract/> and <shortdesc/> is as follow: 
 
   * Abstract: Full sentences that can be used for automated overviews, summaries. They are also the topics' first paragraph.
   * Shortdesc: Phrases, sentence segments that provide 'hints' when users roll over related links or xrefs.
 
Keeping shortdesc instead of including abstract in the map metadata may lead to inconsistency on the way people use the shortdesc element in maps and topics. Are shortdesc elements in map used for 'roll over' purposes only? I'm not sure a partial sentence is very useful, even as metadata.
 
Since this may bring up the whole transitional text discussion, the committee has moved to accept proposal 12017 as is, but has suggested that we bring up this discussion on the list. So here it is: should we introduce abstract in map metadata for the sake of consistency in the way elements are used?
 

France Baril

Documentation Architect/Architecte documentaire

IXIASOFT

tel.:         + 1 514 279-4942 x350

               + 1 877 279-IXIA x350

fax:         + 1 514 279-3947

france.baril@ixiasoft.com

[   www.ixiasoft.com   ]

 

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