Hi Scott,
The relationships element operates at the structure level and is maintained
outside of the topics. The relatedlink element is a mechanism for allowing
users to insert related links within topics as they are being authored. I
think the two mechanism are complementary. Some links are best managed
outside the topics and some inside the topics. I would expect that links
from both sources would be merged at processing time.
Bob Stayton
Sagehill Enterprises
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Hudson" <>
To: "Bob Stayton" <>
Cc: <>
Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 10:49 AM
Subject: Re: [docbook-tc] proposal: add relatedlink element to topic
> Bob, et al,
>
> This is what the <relationships> structure was intended for...
>
> Best regards,
>
> --Scott
>
> Scott Hudson
> Senior XML Architect
> +1 (303) 542-2146 | Office
> +1 (720) 663-SCOT [7268] | Gvoice
>
> http://www.flatironssolutions.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Bob Stayton wrote:
>> In support of the new modular DocBook schema, I propose that we add a
>> relatedlink element to DocBook. I suggest that this be an inline element
>> like link, but that it be processed like an indexterm. That is, the
>> content of relatedlink does not appear inline in the output, but rather
>> all relatedlink elements are gathered up by the stylesheet and presented
>> as a list at the end of each topic.
>>
>> Use case:
>>
>> Cross references in modular content can sometimes be left unresolved.
>> This typically happens when one module is included in a structure and
>> another module containing the target of a cross reference is not. When
>> unresolved inline cross references are encountered by the processing
>> engine, they are reported as an error and some indication of error may be
>> included in the output. A sentence containing such a link may be rendered
>> meaningless and confusing to the reader.
>>
>> A relatedlink element provides a solution to this problem. Instead of an
>> explicit cross reference, an author can insert a relatedlink element at
>> any point in a topic element like an indexterm. At processing time, only
>> those relatedlink elements that resolve are included in the output. And
>> instead of appearing inline, they are gathered up and presented as a
>> list, typically at the end of each topic. This avoids the problem of
>> awkward unresolved inline references, and useless error messages about
>> missing links.
>>
>> Allowing relatedlink elements to appear inline permits them to be kept
>> close to the text they are related to. Then if the text is deleted, so is
>> the relatedlink. If the text is modified, then the relatedlink can be
>> evaluated by the author to see if it is still relevant.
>>
>> The stylesheet could optionally emit a warning for unresolved
>> relatedlinks. Reviewing such messages would provide an author with an
>> indication that an unresolved link is acceptable rather than just a typo.
>>
>> Bob Stayton
>> Sagehill Enterprises
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 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
>>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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
>
>
