Re: DOCBOOK: Exchange or Full CALS Table Model?

[Tony Graham <Tony dot Graham at Sun dot COM>]

Paul Grosso wrote at 27 Dec 2002 10:21:28 -0600:
...
 > The Exchange model is a subset of CALS, so the differences are
 > things in the CALS model not in the Exchange model.  It might 
 > be helpful to outline the key omissions from the Echange model.
 > Here's my attempt (I've omitted things that aren't really 
 > table-related):
 > 
...
 > 4.  entrytbl (i.e., the ability to have a table nested within a
 >     table cell)
...
 > Nested tables is probably going to be the big question.  HTML and
 > XSL-FO both allow them.  Few CALS table authoring tools support them.
 > It might be "nice" to support nested tables, but I have to wonder in
 > practice if they are really needed--since DocBook has existed happily
 > for this long without them.  I'm not sure what I think here.

entrytbl does not equate to nesting tables as is allowed by HTML and
XSL.

entrytbl is effectively a table cell that is divided up into rows and
columns of table cells, and only table cells.  HTML and XSL let you
put blocks of text, images, and other stuff in the same table cell as
a true nested table (or multiple nested tables).

True nested tables are useful.  Subdivided table cells as provided by
entrytbl are only halfway useful at best.  entrytbl alone is not a
good enough reason to continue to support the full CALS table model.

Regards,


Tony Graham
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