Re: [dita] ITEM: Cross-references to Topicheads and Implicit Title-onlyTopics

Why is it acceptable for href and conref
to mean different things, but not href and keyref?

Michael Priestley, Senior Technical
Staff Member (STSM)

Lead IBM DITA Architect 



http://dita.xml.org/blog/25

Eliot Kimber <>

04/07/2009 10:50 AM

To

Michael Priestley/Toronto/IBM@IBMCA

cc

dita <>,
"Ogden, Jeff" <>

Subject

Re: [dita] ITEM: Cross-references to
Topicheads and Implicit Title-only Topics

On 4/7/09 9:41 AM, "Michael Priestley" <>
wrote:

> Eliot wrote:

>> If we want to remain silent on what it means to xref to a topicref,
fine,

>> the 1.2 spec will be no more ambiguous or underspecified than
the 1.1

> spec

>> is. The use or non-use of keyref doesn't change that.

> 

> OK, the good news is that means we can agree that DITA 1.2 scope stays
the

> same.

> 

> I suggest we take an item for DITA 1.3 to formalize expected behaviors
for

> hrefs to various target types. This came up as a requirement on

> dita.xml.org a while ago as well.

You're still not getting my point: it's not about href= "vs." keyref=. It's

about xref to topicrefs, *by any means*. Adding keyref= doesn't remove
any

ambiguity--the ambiguity was already there.

What keyref does, *as currently explained*, is add *confusion* about the

distinction between addressing and linking.

If the 1.2 spec doesn't make the distinction clear then *IT IS BROKEN*
and

needs to be fixed. Fixing that doesn't absolutely require that we then

removing the ambiguity of xrefs to topicrefs. But it will certainly make
the

ambiguity more obvious, since people will not have a *manageable* way to

create xrefs to topics *with the expectation* that xrefs to topicrefs

function as indirectors.

It is not acceptable to have href= "and" keyref= mean different things.

Cheers,

E.

----

Eliot Kimber | Senior Solutions Architect | Really Strategies, Inc.

email:   <mailto:>

office: 610.631.6770 | cell: 512.554.9368

2570 Boulevard of the Generals | Suite 213 | Audubon, PA 19403

www.reallysi.com <http://www.reallysi.com>  | http://blog.reallysi.com

<http://blog.reallysi.com> | www.rsuitecms.com <http://www.rsuitecms.com>

---------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from this mail list, you must leave the OASIS TC that

generates this mail.  Follow this link to all your TCs in OASIS at:

https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/portal/my_workgroups.php