Re: LYNX-DEV Lynx and XML

[Christopher R. Maden]

[Andrew Kuchling]
>       This is off-topic for the lynx-dev list, but I'll ask it
> anyway. :) Surely there's more to XML than just an XML parser?

Definitely.

> I understand that XML is a simplified version of SGML, intended to
> allow defining custom mark-up languages.  However, how would the
> semantics of the custom languages be defined?

Phase 3 of the XML initiative is a stylesheet language, probably based
on DSSSL.  However, XML is open, and one could use CSS with it or
anything else.  (As one tried to get more complex, one would quickly
run into the limitations of CSS and realize why the working group
chose DSSSL...)

If we get XML tree-based parsing (and the Document Object Model that
Microsoft's proposed might be extremely useful, too; more in another
post) in place now, we'll be able to handle XML with stylesheets when
the spec is complete.

> That is, if I defined the following markup:
> 
> <FUNCDEF>
>   <NAME>encode-quoted-printable</NAME>
>   <PARAMS>input, output, quotetabs</PARAMS> 
>   <DESC>This function does quoted printable encoding</DESC>
> </FUNCDEF>
> 
> how would I specify the rendering as, say:
> 
> encode-quoted-printable (input, output, quotetabs)
>     This function does quoted printable encoding.

I'm not good with DSSSL yet, but it would be something like

(element funcdef
   (make paragraph)
)
(element params
   (make sequence
      (literal "(")
      (process-children)
      (literal ")")
   )
)
(element desc
   (make paragraph
      space-before: 0pt
      start-indent: 40pt
   )
)

> Would this be done via style-sheets, or DSSSL?  Or is the semantic
> encoding unspecified?

Yes, yes, and yes.  (DSSSL is a stylesheet language, but using
XML-lang doesn't require use of XML-style.  Given Microsoft's
commitment to support all of XML, I think you'll find XML-style
gradually edging out other stylesheet languages on the Web; everything
CSS can do can be done with simple DSSSL, and using DSSSL gives more
extensibility when you do want more power.)

-Chris
-- 
Christopher R. Maden                  One Richmond Square
DynaText SIT Technical Support        Providence, RI 02906 USA
Inso Corporation                      +1.401.421.9550 (voice)
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