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Re: Allow StartsWith/ContinuationOf on OrderedList?
- To: docbook at lists dot oasis-open dot org
- Subject: Re: DOCBOOK: Allow StartsWith/ContinuationOf on OrderedList?
- From: Terry Allen <tallen at sonic dot net>
- Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 05:31:11 -0800
- Reply-To: docbook at lists dot oasis-open dot org
| <orderedlist id="list1">
1 | <listitem>...</listitem>
2 | <listitem>...</listitem>
3 | <listitem>...</listitem>
4 | <listitem>...</listitem>
5 | <listitem>
| <orderedlist id="list2">
1 | <listitem>...</listitem>
2 | <listitem>...</listitem>
| </orderedlist>
| </listitem>
| </orderedlist>
|
| <orderedlist id="list3" continuation="continues">
6 | <listitem id="citem">...</listitem>
7 | <listitem>...</listitem>
| </orderedlist>
|
| What is the proper value for the numeration of listitem "citem"?
|
| Cannot be "5", I feel obligated to offer the document author
| some way to assert that it is "5", since that is a reasonable
| thing for the author to want to do.
If you mean 6, the markup so asserts. How not? It is NOT
reasonable for for it to be 5 in the absence of some other
distinction between lists 1 and 3. (and confusing even
if there is)
| I can think of two options:
|
| 1. Add a "StartsWith" attribute to OrderedList so that the author
| can set the starting number explicitly.
Yes, let's do it.
| Pros: simple; solves the problem; offers additional flexibility,
| can be used to start list numbering arbitrarily (and
| independent of) continuation.
|
| Cons: it's fragile, if the author does this to get the value "5"
| in the preceding example, and then adds a new listitem to
| "list1", "list3" will still begin at 5.
Which is apparently what he wants, because it should be 6.
| 2. Add a "ContinuationOf" attribute which is an IDREF to the list
| which the author would like to continue.
|
| Pros: robust; solves the problem
| Cons: slightly more complex; less flexible, you can't just number
| a list starting at 37 because you like the number 37.
|
| I prefer 2. I suppose we could add both 1 and 2, but we've
| generally tried to resist solving problems that people didn't
| claim to have (yet).
Should be a ulink, not an IDREF.
| If we elect to go with option 2, then we should probably
| deprecate and then remove "Continuation".
No, continuation is the easy thing.
But it's all a good topic for face-to-face. BTW, are
we resolved not to go to summer camp again this year?
regards, Terry