Hi Paul - the object element came straight from HTML, to allow users to
insert the same things they can insert in HTML. I suspect the description
of the attribute came from the HTML definition:
http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/objects.html#edef-OBJECT
The attribute is not actually required - this is a bug in the spec. If you
check the DTD itself (topic.mod), the attribute is #IMPLIED. I think the
same thing came up the list a week or two ago with the id attribute on
<topic> -- it is required, but the spec says it is implied. I think both of
these came about through use of conref in the source for the spec (reusing
a definition, or part of a definition, when it did not actually apply).
I know of people who use the object element today to include flash
animations, and others who use it to provide links that open other
applications.
Robert D Anderson
IBM Authoring Tools Development
Chief Architect, DITA Open Toolkit
"Paul Prescod"
<paul.prescod@bla
stradius.com> To
<>
02/26/2006 03:47 cc
PM
Subject
[dita] Is this correct?
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.0/langspec/object.html
name Submit the object as part of a form. CDATA
#REQUIRED
Yes
Why should it be required if it is only meaningful in the context of a
form, when DITA doesn't even have a forms capability?
I really don't think that this element should be available at all in
DITA (at least as described).
Paul Prescod
