RE: [dita] processor requirments w.r.t. metadata elements

For e.g. <audience> the 
lang spec says 

 

The audience 
element may be used to provide a more detailed definition of values used 
throughout the map or topic on the audience attribute.

 

If someone goes to the trouble 
of providing e.g. audience type, job, experience level, etc. they would have a 
reasonable expectation of those distinctions having an effect and not just being 
provided as human-readable information for the guidance of authors (and any 
other readers who access the XML source files for content).

 

It seems to me that processors 
are not required to act on metadata elements but that adopters who put 
information in those elements expect them to, and therefore may have to 
look to making their own enhancements to out of the box 
processing.

 

    /Bruce

  

  
  From: Ogden, Jeff [mailto:] 
  
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 9:37 PM
To: Su-Laine Yeo; 
  ; 
Subject: RE: 
  [dita] processor requirments w.r.t. metadata elements

  

  

  
When metadata elements and attributes may, should, or 
  must be used has never been completely clear to me based on what is said in 
  the DITA 1.0 and 1.1 specifications, but these statements from the DITA 1.1 
  Architecture Spec. have always left me with the impression that the elements 
  and attributes were equivalent and so should be able to be used 
  interchangeably:

  
 

  
From the $B!H(BConditional Processing$B!I(B section in Chapter 4 
  on $B!H(BDITA processing$B!I(B:

  
 

  
For a topic or topicref, the 
  audience, platform, and product metadata can be expressed with attributes 
  on

  
the topic or topicref element 
  or with elements within the topic prolog or topicmeta element. While 
  the

  
metadata elements are more 
  expressive, the meaning of the values is the same, and can be used 
  in

  
coordination: for example, 
  the prolog elements can fully define the audiences for a topic, and 
  then

  
metadata attributes can be 
  used within the content to identify parts that apply to only some of 
  those

  
audiences.

  
 

  
The values from the 
  enumerated attributes of the audience metadata element have the 
  same

  
meaning when used in the 
  audience attribute of a content element. For instance, the $B!m(Buser$B!m(B value

  
has the same meaning whether 
  appearing in the type attribute of the audience element for a 
  topic

  
or in the audience attribute 
  of a content element. The principle applies to the type, job, 
  and

  
experience level attributes 
  of the audience element.

  
 

  
This attribute [platform] is 
  equivalent to the platform element for the topic metadata.

  
 

  
This attribute [product] is 
  equivalent to the prodinfo element for the topic metadata.

  
 

  
This attribute [otherprops] 
  is equivalent to the othermeta element for the topic metadata.

  
 

  
From the section on "Topic properties in topics and 
  maps" in Chapter 3 on $B!H(BDITA markup$B!I(B:

  
 

  
The properties of a topic 
  (including metadata attributes and metadata elements) can be specified in 
  the

  
topic itself or in references 
  to the topic within maps.

  
 

  
Within a topic, properties 
  can be expressed using metadata attributes on the topic element or 
  using

  
publication, management, or 
  metadata elements in the topic prolog.

  
 

  
Now having said this, Arbortext Editor doesn$B!G(Bt allow 
  filtering based on metadata elements.  But I$B!G(Bve always thought that we 
  should.

  
 

  
   -Jeff

  
 

  
> -----Original Message-----

  
> From: Su-Laine Yeo 
  [mailto:]

  
> Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 8:23 
  PM

  
> To: ; 
  

  
> Subject: RE: [dita] processor requirments w.r.t. 
  metadata elements

  
> 

  
> The draft DITA 1.2 spec currently says: "Although 
  metatdata elements

  
> exist with similar names, such as the 
  <audience> element, processors

  
> are not required to perform conditional processing 
  using metadata

  
> elements." This is new text (that I wrote) in an 
  attempt to clarify the

  
> situation for DITA users who often ask things like, 
  "What is the

  
> difference between the <audience> element and 
  the @audience attribute?"

  
> 

  
> The DITA 1.1 spec does not say anything about 
  whether processors should

  
> apply conditional processing rules to metadata 
  elements. In its

  
> discussion of conditional processing it repeatedly 
  refers to attributes,

  
> and only attributes. Given this background, I think 
  the new text just

  
> says explicitly what the DITA 1.1 spec implies by 
  omission. The DITA OT

  
> has never done conditional processing using 
  metadata elements.

  
> 

  
> Having said that, even the proposed clarification 
  may not give enough

  
> guidance. Consider the following 
  questions:

  
> 1) If a processor only applies conditional 
  processing on attributes and

  
> *never* applies them to metadata elements, is that 
  a bug?

  
> 2) If a processor *always* applies conditional 
  processing to both

  
> attributes and metadata elements, is that a 
  bug?

  
> 

  
> I would say no to the first, and yes to the 
  second.

  
> 

  
> Regards,

  
> Su-Laine

  
> 

  
> Su-Laine Yeo

  
> Solutions Consultant

  
> JustSystems Canada, Inc.

  
> Office: 778-327-6356

  
> 

  
> www.justsystems.com

  
> 

  
> 

  
> 

  
> -----Original Message-----

  
> From:  
  [mailto:]

  
> Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 4:27 
  PM

  
> To: 

  
> Subject: [dita] processor requirments w.r.t. 
  metadata elements

  
> 

  
> Is the statement "processors are not required to 
  perform conditional

  
> processing using metadata elements" 
  true?

  
> 

  
> -author undisclosed