http://docs.oasis-open.org/xliff/xliff-core/v2.1/os/xliff-core-v2.1-os.html#state The processing requirements section has a statement:
Writers MUST NOT set the state attribute values to other than the default initial if and only if the <segment> element where the attribute is set doesn't have the <target> child.
I'm struggling to interpret "only if" part. Above statement seems to tell
If <segment> does not have <target>, writers must not set state attribute other than "initial". I understand this requirement. If <segment> has <target>, writers must not set state="initial". This is my interpretation of the part "only if".
My interpretation 2 is correct, I think many examples in XLIFF 2.1 seem to violate the processing requirement, because the default value of state attribute is "initial".
<segment> (with no attributes) is equivalent to <segment state="initial">, because the default value of state attribute is "initial". So the segment like below (found in the XLIFF specification) does not look right, because <segment> status
should be interpreted as "initial"
<xliff xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:xliff:document:2.0" version="2.0"
srcLang="en" trgLang="fr">
<file id="f1">
<notes>
<note id="n1">note for file.</note>
</notes>
<unit id="u1">
<my:elem xmlns:my="myNamespaceURI" id="x1">data</my:elem>
<notes>
<note id="n1">note for unit</note>
</notes>
<segment id="s1">
<source><pc id="1">Hello <mrk id="m1" type="term">World</mrk>!</pc>
</source>
<target><pc id="1">Bonjour le <mrk id="m1" type="term">Monde</mrk>
! </pc></target>
</segment>
</unit>
</file>
</xliff>
If the processing requirement statement says " MUST NOT set the state attribute values to other than the default initial EXPLICITLY", then it somewhat makes sense. But at the same time, from the tool developer's point of view, distinction
between implicitly set (default value) or explicitly set is often not clear sometimes. I personally think changing the statement to "Writers MUST NOT set the state attribute values to other than the default initial if the <segment> element where the attribute
is set doesn't have the <target> child." (dropping "only if") might resolve the conflict. In other words, state="initial" can be still used even <target> exists, but if <target> is absent, state must be "initial".
Again, is my interpretation wrong?
-Yoshito