Re: [office] Advice on 13.1?

[Regina Henschel <regina.henschel@libreoffice.org>]

Hi Patrick,

Patrick Durusau schrieb am 08-Dec-18 um 03:10:
> Greetings!
>
> Your editors have encountered in 13.1, fourth bullet item:
>
>   *
>
>     Forms are not connected with the text flow and layout of a document.
>     This does not apply to controls.
>
> ?
>
> The "This does not apply to controls." seem to contradict the first
> bullet item: "All controls shall be located in a form."
>
>
> Reasoning that being located in a form divorces controls from text flow
> and layout of a document.
>
>
> Yes?
>
>
> Suggest striking "This does not apply to controls."
>
>
> Comments?

The exception for controls is not related to "located" but to "connected".

The shape, which is the visual representation of the control, is of 
cause part of the layout of the document and the text flow. Therefore 
controls _are_ somehow "connected" with the layout and text flow, at 
least via the associated shape. And in case a control is used with a 
table, it influences the layout via the attribute form:linked-cell.

From stand of text flow and layout, a form is not relevant. Only the 
induced size changes in a draw:control element or a table:cell element 
is relevant to text flow and layout.

In 13.5.1. you find "Controls are connected to the surrounding document 
(and its text flow, if applicable) by binding them to a shape that acts 
as a placeholder for the control. 10.3.13". Albeit here the binding 
direction is wrong. You bind a shape to a control, not a control to a shape.

The text of the second bullet item is more problematic, "All controls 
that are not hidden are assigned an absolute or relative position." Not 
the control has a position but the drawing shape. The control itself 
does not even know about the drawing shape, which represents the 
control. I mean, it has no standardized attribute for a reference to the 
drawing shape. You can even have two <draw:control> elements referring 
the same <form:control> element.

The problem is how to distinguish between a control itself - a 
<form:checkbox> element for example - and the visual representation by a 
<draw:control> element.

Kind regards
Regina