FW: Why "Key name"?

From
Lichael Oriestley <>
Date
2009-11-04T16:35:00+00:00
ID
Thread
FW: Why "Key name"?
I'm not sure I see the need either.
"Key" and "key reference" are parallel to "ID"
and "ID reference", as Eliot points out. And that's sufficient
for the majority of cases, where the keyref is to a simple key, not a compound
value. So I don't think the problem case is all that big. 

I'm also not sure how, even if there
is a problem, adding "name" helps.   Maybe we could see
an example of a problem sentence, written both ways?

Michael Priestley, Senior Technical
Staff Member (STSM)

Lead IBM DITA Architect



http://dita.xml.org/blog/25

From:
ekimber <>

To:
"Ogden, Jeff" <>,
dita <>

Date:
11/04/2009 11:20 AM

Subject:
Re: [dita] FW: Why "Key name"?

The question in this thread is whether anyone objects
to Jeff's general

review comment that the term "key" should be replaced by "key
name" in all

discussion of key-based addressing, as in "a key reference can use
a key

name together with an ID" rather than "a key reference can use
a key

together with an ID".

My initial reaction was that "key name" isn't any better than
"key" and that

keys are not in fact names (because "name" implies non-uniqueness
but keys

are unique, meaning they are a form of identifier, not a form of name).
But

that is clearly pedantic hair splitting.

Jeff's intent, if I understand it correctly, is to more clearly distinguish

references to keys from "keyref", which in most contexts is the
combination

of the reference to a key [name] and, optionally, the ID of an element

within the topic ultimately addressed by the key. Thus, there could be
some

confusion between the phrase "key reference" (by which I mean
a reference to

a key) and "keyref" (the attribute), which involves both a key
reference and

an (optional) ID reference.

As indicated in the discussion copied below, while I don't think Jeff's

terminology change is needed I don't see it as hurting either. But I didn't

want to unilaterally accept or reject Jeff's suggestion without

consideration by the TC as a whole.

If there's no serious objection I will use "key name" in place
of "key" as I

work through comments on the linking and addressing parts of the spec.

Cheers,

Eliot

On 11/3/09 9:24 AM, "Ogden, Jeff" <> wrote:

> FYI

>

>  

>

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