Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!sics.se!ifi.uio.no!enag From: enag@ifi.uio.no (Erik Naggum) Newsgroups: comp.text.sgml Subject: Re: A floating paired tag... Message-ID: Date: 13 Jun 91 00:26:26 GMT References: <1991Jun12.131914.19072@hal.com> Sender: enag@ifi.uio.no (Erik Naggum) Organization: Naggum Software, Oslo, Norway Lines: 54 Nntp-Posting-Host: gyda.ifi.uio.no In-Reply-To: jbm@hal.com's message of 12 Jun 91 13: 19:14 GMT Originator: enag@gyda.ifi.uio.no Brad Might writes: | | In the above case, the attribute only applies to | the element that contains it. Therefore, in case (1) above, | kuluyuk is data within and therefore | is treated as chinese. This makes sense from a perspective outside SGML, but does ISO 8879 say so? If attributes are passed by reference, a change in a #CURRENT attribute will reflect on outer's attribute value, also. In any case, if #CURRENT attribute values are shared, are they so shared by the SGML parser or the application software? If they are not shared, at least half the point with #CURRENT is gone, as I see it, and can produce very counter-intuitive results, although the initial thinking seems intuitive. (SGML has some counter-intuitive specifications which produce intuitive results for the SGML user. In general, it's the User which has been given primary importance in the entire stan- dard, which I find (1) extremely uncommon, and (2) extremely good.) | | ha che | | good food | | kuluyuk | | | ha che | | kuluyuk | | | | where the second kuluyuk is going to be looked upon as english | since the last value of attribute language in element inner | was english. This implies that #CURRENT attributes are not shared, which contra- dicts my reading of the standard, and which precludes attribute value inheritance. I agree that your example makes sense in general, but I spent some time trying to figure out how #CURRENT works, and I think that what makes sense in other contexts may not necessarily make sense in SGML context. | What about making language a NOTATION? I don't understand what this would buy us. Can you give me an example or explain what you would accomplish. -- Erik Naggum Professional Programmer +47-2-836-863 Naggum Software Electronic Text 0118 OSLO, NORWAY Computer Communications