Re: [docbook-apps] Grouping methodparams.

[Stefan Seefeld <seefeld@sympatico.ca>]

Richard Quadling wrote:
> Hi.
> 
> I am using methodsynopsis and have some parameters which are optional.
> 
> But, there is a pair of parameters that have to go together.
> 
> e.g. function(param1 [, param2 [, param3, param 4]])
> 
> Here params 3 and 4 are to the function, but must both be present.
> Either 1, 2 or 4 params. Never 3 params.

I don't think this is currently possible, and I'm not sure adding 
support for this is appropriate. The whole set of <synopsis> tags is to 
reflect language artifacts as far as syntax is concerned, not to express 
semantic constraints on top of that.
Norm indicated he didn't want docbook to incorporate more than a minimal 
set of modeling vocabulary. There is a whole lot of other things to be 
added if docbook were to expand into that modeling direction. (There is 
no 'type synopsis', for example.)
May be an extension 'profile' could be created for such things ? <hint/>

Regards,
		Stefan

PS: As I'm working on a tool that generates a docbook reference manual 
from APIs (in different programming languages), I hit various 
limitations as to what can be represented in docbook. I do think having 
an extension vocabulary on top of docbook to capture this would be very 
helpful.
There was a similar efford as part of boost 
(http://www.boost.org/doc/html/boostbook.html), and I believe it would 
be nice to move that closer to docbook. Norm, what's your perspective on 
this ?


Regards,
		Stefan

-- 

       ...ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin...