OASIS XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF) TC

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RE: [xliff] element 'defaults' proposal

  • 1.  RE: [xliff] element 'defaults' proposal

    Posted 11-19-2002 12:28
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    Subject: RE: [xliff] element 'defaults' proposal


    I'm not sure about this proposal for the following reasons:
    
    1) By putting this in, we will be sacrificing some level of validation
    against the DTD/Schema. The example below is a case in point. The "maxwidth"
    attribute (as I understand it) is numeric. There's no way to validate that
    this is the case in the content of the <default> element.
    
    2) Although such a mechanism is useful, I'm not sure that it's necessary.
    All we are doing is providing a shorthand method for specifying default
    values. The longhand method is simply to put the correct attribute values in
    each element. Although this grows the size of the XLIFF file, is this a big
    drawback right now?
    
    3) The new element is also introducing an extra level of complexity in to
    XLIFF, namely XPath. No doubt some tools will use "homegrown" parsers for
    XLIFF which won't support XPath and so this will lengthen the adoption
    period for 1.1.
    
    David Pooley
    Software Architect
    SDL International
    
    
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Lieske, Christian [mailto:christian.lieske@sap.com]
    Sent: 19 November 2002 08:37
    To: xliff@lists.oasis-open.org
    Subject: [xliff] element 'defaults' proposal
    
    
    Hi all,
    
    Many specifications in the XML realm do mention defaulting mechanisms. The
    XML specification itself,
    for example, does this wrt. 'xml:lang':
    
    >The intent declared with xml:lang is considered to apply to all attributes
    and content of the
    >element where it is specified, unless overridden with an instance of
    xml:lang on another 
    >element within that content.
    
    If I understand correctly, we do not currently have a home in XLIFF for
    defaults. Saying sth. like
    
    >'maxwidth' for every 'trans-unit' should be '72', unless overridden.
    
    at the moment does not seem to be possible.
    
    Accordingly, I would like to suggest the following (I realize that it is
    quite late to discuss this
    for 1.1 but it would ensure that it isn't just another prop):
    
    A. Add an element 'default' to XLIFF which is further specified by the
    XSD/DTD code
       fragment given below. Furthermore, add an element 'defaults' which holds
    one or more
       'default' elements. The mandatory 'item' attribute for 'default'
    designates the
       object(s) to which a default applies (the designator is an Xpath
    expression). The
       default setting itself is the content of the 'default' element.
    
       Example:
    
    	<defaults>
    		<default item="//trans-unit/@maxwidth>72</default>
    		<default item="//trans-unit/reformat/@edit">yes</default>
    	</defaults>
       
       Two defaults encoded here are: 'maxwidth=72' for all trans-units, and
    'edit=yes' for
       all 'reformat' elements of trans-units.
    
    B. The semantics and use of the 'default' element are as follows:
    
    	The intent declared with 'default' is considered to apply to all
    objects designated
    	by the 'item' attribute, unless overridden at the object itself.
    
    C. The element may appear as a child of both 'xliff' and 'header'.
    
    D. XLIFF processors may use the information in the 'default' element.
    
    E. XSD/DTD code fragment
    
    	<!ELEMENT defaults (default+)>
    	<!ELEMENT default (#PCDATA)>
    	<!ATTLIST default
    		item	CDATA #required>
    
    	<xs:element name="default">
    		<xs:annotation>
    			<xs:documentation> container
    element</xs:documentation>
    		</xs:annotation>
    		<xs:complexType>
    			<xs:attribute name="item" type="xs:string"
    use="required">
    				<xs:annotation>
    					<xs:documentation source="designate
    the object(s) to which a default applies"/>
    				</xs:annotation>
    			</xs:attribute>
    		</xs:complexType>
    	</xs:element>
    	<xs:element name="defaults">
    		<xs:annotation>
    			<xs:documentation> designates a default setting for
    an item (for example the value of an attribute)</xs:documentation>
    		</xs:annotation>
    		<xs:complexType>
    			<xs:sequence>
    				<xs:element ref="default"
    maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
    			</xs:sequence>
    		</xs:complexType>
    	</xs:element>
    
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