OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) TC

 View Only

  • 1.  Proposal: "DITA decoration catalog"

    Posted 09-21-2009 21:00 
    




    I'm giving my users 
the ability to define non-semantic decorations using outputclass. I do this with 
reservation, but I'm convinced that we'll see more of this kind of request in 
the near future.
    

     
    

    I'd like to request 
that we provide a "DITA decoration catalog" of outputclass values that should be 
meaningful across local systems yet customizable for local 
requirements.
    

     
    

    I've captured a 
sample implementation of such a catalog at http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita/DITA_Decorations.
    

     
    

    Anybody else 
confronted with this demand? 
    

     
    

    I need to roll out 
something within the next month. Any chance of resolving an initial list of 
standard outputclass values before then?
    

     
    

     
    

    -seth 
park
    

     


  • 2.  Re: [dita] Proposal: "DITA decoration catalog"

    Posted 09-21-2009 21:08 
    There is certainly a requirement to have controlled values for outputclass
within the Publishing business domain, where arbitrary formatting control is
a reality.

I've approached in several ways to date:

- Used CSS values where appropriate, so that a processor can either just use
the outputclass value in generated HTML or can key on the value for
generating other types of output. Because the values are CSS-defined,
there's no need to have a separate definition of them.

- Treat outputclass values as the names of named styles. When the primary
rendition target is InDesign or similar system, this works well. In this
case, the DTP system maintains the master list of style names (e.g., in
template documents).

- Simply document the expected values.

I think it would be useful and appropriate to use the DITA 1.2 controlled
values facility (map specialization) to define some useful base sets of
values, as might be usefully implemented in the DITA Open Toolkit.

Cheers,

E.

On 9/21/09 3:59 PM, "Park Seth-R01164"


  • 3.  RE: [dita] Proposal: "DITA decoration catalog"

    Posted 09-22-2009 11:02 
    I don't think the base spec should include a starter decoration catalog.
I feel this is an end-user specific thing per their house style. Should
a particular SC see the need to create a starter catalog or "standard"
catalog for their needs (such as may be the case with the publishing SC)
I think that's fine. I'm just not convinced of the benefit in providing
one at the base spec level.

If the wider TC feels there's a need, I'll go with the flow. 


/Gershon


    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
                                                        Original Message


  • 4.  RE: [dita] Proposal: "DITA decoration catalog"

    Posted 09-22-2009 12:56 
    










    


    Is the desire to get something done within the next month a hope
to have this included in the DITA 1.2 spec? If so, I don’t think that is
a good idea.  This seems like the sort of thing that should have a full
proposal and discussion and that makes it a DITA 1.3 issue.
    


    


    If I can get past the timing issue, I’m not sure what I
think of this proposal.  The outputclass attribute is pretty loosely
defined and its use is pretty application/implementation dependent.  And
the decorations are pretty formatting/styling based. So I wonder if they really
belong in the spec.  If it does belong in the spec., perhaps there needs
to be some other more formal way (new attribute, new elements) to do it so as
not to overload outputclass with a mix of standards based and ad hoc uses. And,
finally, this feels a little like it might be/should be related to the flagging
part of filtering and flagging. For that it is pretty easy to add new multi-valued
conditional processing attribute specializations based upon props. If that
approach is viable, the discussion would change to one about how you specify
the different “decorations” in the ditaval file.
    


    


       -Jeff
    


    


    


    


    


    From: Park Seth-R01164
[mailto:seth.park@freescale.com]
    
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 5:00 PM
    
To: dita
    
Subject: [dita] Proposal: "DITA decoration catalog"
    


    


    


    


    


    I'm
giving my users the ability to define non-semantic decorations using
outputclass. I do this with reservation, but I'm convinced that we'll see more
of this kind of request in the near future.
    


    


    


     
    


    


    


    I'd
like to request that we provide a "DITA decoration catalog" of
outputclass values that should be meaningful across local systems yet
customizable for local requirements.
    


    


    


     
    


    


    


    I've
captured a sample implementation of such a catalog at http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita/DITA_Decorations.
    


    


    


     
    


    


    


    Anybody
else confronted with this demand? 
    


    


    


     
    


    


    


    I
need to roll out something within the next month. Any chance of resolving an
initial list of standard outputclass values before then?
    


    


    


     
    


    


    


     
    


    


    


    -seth
park
    


    


    


     


Related Content