OASIS DocBook TC2

  • 1.  HTML forms in Docbook

    Posted 09-15-2004 00:11
     MHonArc v2.5.0b2 -->
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    docbook-tc message

    [Date Prev] | [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Date Next] -- [Date Index] | [Thread Index] | [List Home]


    Subject: HTML forms in Docbook


    I'm following up on my action item to research where the
    HTML <form> element could be added to the DocBook DTD
    to permit more widespread use of form in HTML output.
    
    In XHTML 1.0, the form element is permitted inside the following
    HTML elements that DocBook is likely to generate:
    
    blockquote
    body
    dd
    div
    li
    td
    th
    
    Just for completeness, form is also permitted inside the following XHTML
    elements, which I
    consider not relevant to this discussion:
    
    applet
    del
    fieldset
    iframes
    ins
    map
    noframe
    noscript
    object
    
    Currently the %forms.hook; parameter entity that allows
    the form element to be added to the DocBook DTD is seen
    only in the divcomponent.mix parameter entity.  This PE
    is in turn used as part of the content model of the
    following DocBook elements:
    
    appendix
    article
    chapter
    partintro
    preface
    sect*
    section
    simplesect
    
    Being in the divcomponent.mix means that form is a sibling of
    lists, formal and informal objects, para, linespecifics, admonitions
    and a few others.  But it also means that a form cannot appear *inside*
    any of these elements.  That is the limitation that some would like
    to overcome.
    
    At the same time, there is no desire to make form an inline,
    because that is not supported in HTML.
    
    So I investigated how to integrate form into the content of
    more elements while at the same time avoiding any inlines.
    
    I am recommending that we add the form hook to the following
    DocBook parameter entities:
    
    admon.mix
    component.mix
    example.mix
    figure.mix
    listpreamble.mix
    qandaset.mix
    refcomponent.mix
    sidebar.mix
    tabentry.mix
    
    These PEs are all mixes of various block-level elements,
    and no inline elements, so adding form  would be consistent.
    
    Here is a more detailed list of what elements would then be
    permitted to contain a form in some part of their content
    model.  For those marked with a (p), form can only appear
    in the preamble part (e.g., the text between the title of
    a bibliography and its first biblioentry).
    
    admon.mix
       caution
       important
       note
       tip
       warning
    
    component.mix
       bibliodiv  (p)
       bibliography  (p)
       blockquote
       callout
       glossary  (p)
       glossdiv  (p)
       index  (p)
       listitem
       msgexplan
       msgtext
       procedure  (p)
       setindex  (p)
       step
       taskprerequisites
       taskrelated
       tasksummary
    
    example.mix
       example
       informalexample
    
    figure.mix
       figure
       informalfigure
    
    listpreamble.mix
       itemizedlist  (p)
       orderedlist  (p)
       variablelist  (p)
    
    refcomponent.mix
       refsect1
       refsect2
       refsect3
       refsection
       refsynopsis
    
    sidebar.mix
       sidebar
    
    qandaset.mix
       answer
       qandadiv  (p)
       qandaset  (p)
       question
    
    tabentry.mix
       entry
    
    Adding form to these parameter entities would noticeably expand the
    opportunities
    for using form in DocBook.
    
    Bob Stayton
    Sagehill Enterprises
    DocBook Consulting
    bobs@sagehill.net
    
    
    
    


    [Date Prev] | [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Date Next] -- [Date Index] | [Thread Index] | [List Home]