Re: [dita] Missing Paras on Attribute Specialization

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

I should also point out that this topic was part of the DITA 1.1
architectural specification, so it's not new (unreviewed) material:
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/OS/archspec/attspecialization.html

Robert D Anderson
IBM Authoring Tools Development
Chief Architect, DITA Open Toolkit



From:	Don Day <donday@learningbywrote.com>
To:	Eliot Kimber <ekimber@reallysi.com>
Cc:	dita <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>
Date:	09/21/2010 08:31 AM
Subject:	Re: [dita] Missing Paras on Attribute Specialization



This approach seems prudent, Eliot. The greater concern is probably whether
this portends other places that should be reinspected. Other than that,
this looks like an editorial catch to me.

On 9/21/2010 6:35 AM, Eliot Kimber wrote:
      Robert discovered that I had missed out a few paragraphs on attribute
      specialization in the reorganization of the general discussion of
      specialization. The original content was:

      --------
      Specialization of attributes

      When creating a structural specialization, you can limit the contents
      of
      existing attributes on your new elements; you can also create new
      attributes
      through domain specialization based off of the props attribute (for
      conditional processing) or the base attribute (for other simple token
      attributes).

      Domain attribute specialization allows DITA document type developers
      to
      incorporate new conditional processing attributes that can be used
      for
      filtering and flagging, or new attributes with no existing equivalent
      that
      can be managed and generalized in the same way as conditional
      processing
      attributes.

      The new attributes need to be based off of either props or base:

      * Attributes specialized from props are identified as conditional
      processing
      attributesAttributes specialized from base have no existing behavior
      associated with them
      * Values in specialized attributes should be preserved during
      generalization
      and respecialization
      * While generalized, the attribute values should still be
      understandable by
      both general and specialized behaviors, and be treated as equivalent
      to
      their specialized form.
      * For example, conditional filtering should work the same way on
      specialized
      attributes and on generalized attributes.

      Because there is a strong possibility that the existing conditional
      processing attributes (audience, platform, product, and otherprops)
      will be
      moved into a domain based off of props in the future, structural
      specializations are discouraged from limiting the values in those
      attributes.
      --------

      I think the appropriate action is to add this content, more or less
      as is,
      as another <section> within topic 2.1.4.3 Specialization, where it
      would be
      parallel with the other sections.

      This content doesn't add or remove any existing normative statements
      about
      attribute specialization so I don't think there's any functional
      implication
      to adding it. I would just need to make sure I don't add any
      redundant
      statements.

      I will take this action if there is no objection from the TC.

      Cheers,

      Eliot




--
Don R. Day
DITA and XML Consultant
Chair, OASIS DITA Technical Committee
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
--T.S. Eliot