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Re: metadata


My assumption is that the purpose of metadata in components is to allow
their contents to be processed independently of DocBook. 

So, I have two suggestions: (1) Specify that metadata should be
completely ingnored wrt to presentation. (2) Allow any element to have
metadata containing zero or more arbitrary block elements.

I'd keep the current *info elements and restrict them to containing
elements that result in presentation. I'd add a new meta element that
can contain anything, but is ignored for presentation.

-- Vladimir

"MS" == Michael Sabrio <rms@fpk.hp.com> writes:

  MS> The DocBook Tech Committee would like your input on a couple of
  MS> issues related to metadata.

  MS> HP (like everyone else?) is beginning to create and manage chunks
  MS> of DocBook at levels below the section element.  For example,
  MS> we're creating procedure and example elements that we'd like to
  MS> manage separately from any higher-level elements that use them.
  MS> Any chunks we manage separately need to allow associated metadata.

  MS> Except for some of the common attributes, however, the primary
  MS> DocBook containers for metadata are the *info elements, such as
  MS> sectioninfo, which holds metadata for a section element.  But the
  MS> *info elements are not allowed in elements below the section
  MS> level.

  MS> (1) So the first question is: how should we associate metadata
  MS> with elements below the section level?  Should we do an element-
  MS> by-element review and add an info-like container to the ones that
  MS> need it?  Should we add some kind of pointer to or from separate
  MS> structures?

  MS> (2) Second, as long as we're talking about metadata, should we do
  MS> anything to rationalize metadata in DocBook?

  MS> To hold metadata, DocBook evolved with a bag-o-tags allowed in the
  MS> *info elements, a handful of common attributes, plus other
  MS> miscellaneous attributes on selected elements (such as the 'status'
  MS> attribute on sections).  Should we keep such an arrangement with
  MS> some tweaks, such as additional attributes or elements?  Should we
  MS> sync up with something like the Dublin Core (http://dublincore.org)
  MS> or PRISM (http://www.prismstandard.org/)?  Should we allow different
  MS> external metadata modules like Dublin Core or PRISM to be included
  MS> as customizations? . . .

  MS> The DocBook Tech Committee would like your input on these two issues.
  MS> Thanks.

  MS> - Michael Sabrio
  MS>   OASIS DocBook Technical Committee
  MS>   Hewlett Packard


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