DOCBOOK-APPS: Re: Getting revhistory/revision[1]/revnumber on atitlepage

[Bob Stayton <bobs at caldera dot com>]

On Thu, Jan 23, 2003 at 07:16:14AM -0500, Norman Walsh wrote:
> [stuff deleted]
> 
> Now that I look a little more closely, I see what t:or was for:
> 
>   <para>Usually, the elements so named are empty. But it is possible to
>   make one level of selection within them. Suppose that you want to
>   process <literal>authorgroup</literal> elements on the title page, but
>   you want to select only proper authors, editors, or corporate authors,
>   not collaborators or other credited authors.</para>
> 
>   <para>In that case, you can put a <literal>t:or</literal> group inside
>   the <literal>authorgroup</literal> element:
> 
>   <screen><![CDATA[
>     <t:titlepage-contents side="recto">
>       <!-- other titlepage elements -->
>       <authorgroup>
>         <t:or>
>           <author/>
>           <editor/>
>           <corpauthor/>
>         </t:or>
>       </authorgroup>
>       <!-- other titlepage elements -->
>     </t:titlepage-contents>
>   ]]></screen>
>   </para>
> 
> But in the absence of t:or, it might or might not make sense to
> process all the children because what you really might want to do is
> process the element.

I don't see how processing of the children can be automatic.
You are setting up templates for each element in particular
modes like 'book.titlepage.recto.auto.mode'. Modes don't
carry forward through template application.
If the children are not explicit in the spec file,
you have to either fall back on the general titlepage.mode,
or assume knowledge of the DTD.  The former approach
takes the child elements out of the processing model
for titlepages.  The latter approach means
the stylesheet has to keep up with detailed changes to 
*info content models.   That approach also seems to break
the processing model used in titlepage.templates, which is
that it lists the elements you want to appear in a
titlepage. 

Why not just let the syntax in titlepage.templates.xml
specify any descendents that you want?

       <authorgroup>
           <author/>
           <editor/>
           <corpauthor/>
       </authorgroup>


-- 

Bob Stayton                                 400 Encinal Street
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