Re: DOCBOOK: Linking in DocBook (specifically for EBNF, but more generally as well)

[Terry Allen <tallen@sonic.net>]

Norm wrote:
| This has come up before, but now I have concrete case to push
| against.
| 
| In the EBNF structures we've been discussing, it seems clear
| that we want nonterminals to point to thier definitions and that
| some nonterminals are defined in other specs. So we have to have
| both ID/IDREF and XPointer linking.
| 
| How do we want to do this, with two attributes?
| 
| <nonterminal linkend="foo">
| <nonterminal url="http://...">
| 
| and the semantic that only one is allowed (but linkend wins if both
| are specified) or with a single XLink attribute

Ick, if we wanted to do this we should put an OR choice of
linking elements within nonterminal.

| <nonterminal xlink:href="#foo">
| <nonterminal xlink:href="http://...">
| 
| and the semantic that users (and stylesheets) have to handle the
| new form.

1. Is this correct Xlink syntax for a pointer to a single target?
(I knew shortly after I read the Xlink spec but have forgotten.)

2. Is Xlink stable in this regard?

3. Has Xlink been implemented?

4. Will "#foo" work like ID/IDREF in current tools?  (I would
think it wouldn't.)

I see the need, but I'd like not to get to the party too early.

regards, Terry