docbook-apps

  • 1.  db5: simplesect with two section ancestors

    Posted 11-28-2006 16:09
    Is it valid DocBook 5 to have a simplesect element with two section
    ancestors (ie, section > section > simplesect)? It seems valid to me
    from the description on docbook.org, but XMLMind doesn't seem to allow this.

    (By the way, the rationale is that I'd like to have a short section with
    a title such as "To do x:" followed by a short procedure. 'Section'
    seems to overwhelm such a heading with section numbers; and as there are
    no nested sections within, 'simplesect' seems more semantically
    appropriate.)

    Thanks,

    Brett




  • 2.  RE: [docbook-apps] db5: simplesect with two section ancestors

    Posted 11-28-2006 17:27
    A simplesect can indeed be a child of multiple section ancestors. It
    merely cannot have other structural children. I am not sure exactly
    what structure you are attempting, but a simplesect cannot have a
    procedure following it, only simplesect, bibliography, glossary, index
    or toc elements. It could have one as a child, but you said you wanted
    to follow it with one (as opposed to contain one). Another alternative
    would be to use the task element as a container of the procedure and
    could be more semantically meaningful, depending on the actual intent of
    your document design.

    Larry Rowland


    Original Message


  • 3.  Re: [docbook-apps] db5: simplesect with two section ancestors

    Posted 11-28-2006 18:01
    When I wrote 'followed by a short procedure', I indeed meant a
    simplesect containing both a title and procedure (the procedure
    following the title element). It looks like either task or simplesect
    could fit the bill.

    As for which is more semantically meaningful, task seems to have more
    meaning, although for this usage, I wouldn't need any child elements
    beyond the title and procedure. An example of document content:

    To dock an existing, floating window:
    1. Click the dock icon ...

    To undock an existing, docked window:
    1. Click the undock icon ...

    I think XMLMind has been misleading me here: a procedure can contain a
    title element, so that would work as well. Perhaps task and simplesect
    are unnecessary in this case ...

    Brett

    On 11/28/2006 12:27 PM, Rowland, Larry wrote:
    > A simplesect can indeed be a child of multiple section ancestors. It
    > merely cannot have other structural children. I am not sure exactly
    > what structure you are attempting, but a simplesect cannot have a
    > procedure following it, only simplesect, bibliography, glossary, index
    > or toc elements. It could have one as a child, but you said you wanted
    > to follow it with one (as opposed to contain one). Another alternative
    > would be to use the task element as a container of the procedure and
    > could be more semantically meaningful, depending on the actual intent of
    > your document design.
    >
    > Larry Rowland
    >
    >
    Original Message


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