Re: [dita] referencing a bookmap from a map

[Eliot Kimber <ekimber@reallysi.com>]

On 6/9/09 5:55 PM, "Michael Priestley" <mpriestl@ca.ibm.com> wrote:

> Hi Eliot,
> 
> As a level-set, here's what the spec currently says about
> format="ditamap":
> 
> 
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/OS/langspec/common/theformatattribute.htm>
l
> The linked-to resource is a DITA map. It represents a referenced hierarchy
> at a position within referencing hierarchy, and a referenced relationship
> table included outside the referencing hierarchy
> 
> So it does, at least to me, read like an explicit behavior. I'd agree that
> this should be a default behavior, rather than required. But as a default
> behavior, I think it should preserve the validity of the referencing map
> as it aggregates, and not create invalid structures.

I'm afraid that a complete response to this line of discussion will take us
down a hole we don't have time for at the moment in light of the arch spec
editorial deadline.

But my basic response is that just the text quoted simply says "a referenced
hierarchy"--what is that? I don't get *any* behavior from that other than "a
relationship is established". But it implies nothing about what that
relationship means or requires other than simply establishing a hierarchical
relationship among aggregated topicrefs.

But I would need to read the rest of the relevant spec to see if there is
more context than presented here.

But my instinct is that Michael is applying a number of unstated assumptions
about what "a referenced hierarchy" means that may or may not be explicit in
the spec. 

And when I said "you can use conref" I meant from one topicref to another
topicref, not from a topicref to a map, which is clearly nonsensical as long
as <map> is not itself a specialization of topicref (which I'm starting to
think it should perhaps be, but that's definitely a 2.0 discussion).

Cheers,

E.


----
Eliot Kimber | Senior Solutions Architect | Really Strategies, Inc.
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