Re: SGML and Forms

Subject: Re: SGML and Forms
From: "Martin Bryan" <mtbryan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 09:42:26 -0000
The real question with forms is not how you should present them but how you
can pass information captured using them to applications. At present niether
DSSSL or XSL address this problem. With XSL you can convert to HTML and then
rely on HTML's use of CGI to send messages to the message processor, but
this is not a good enough general purpose mechanism.

What is desparately needed is a mechanism whereby users can invoke both
local and remote  processes from a) a change to a field value (e.g. validate
the contents of this field as a part number against a specified database) b)
the relationship between field values (e.g. does this field contain the
right cost for an item whose part number is shown in field1 and whose
quantity is shown in field2) c) the completion of a segment of a form (e.g.
when this field is completed send all the fields in this section for
processing) d) the formal submission of a signed form for subsequent
processing (e.g. compute digital signature, store in local repository, send
to legal notary and, once these operations have been acknowledged as
successfully completed, submit entered contents to organization who issued
the form).

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Bryan, 29 Oldbury Orchard, Churchdown, Glos GL3 2PU, UK
Phone/Fax: +44 1452 714029 E-mail: mtbryan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For more information about The SGML Centre contact
http://www.sgml.u-net.com
For more information about the European Commission's
Open Information Interchange (OII) initiative contact
http://www.echo.lu/oii/en/oiistand.html



 DSSSList info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/dsssl/dssslist


Current Thread
  • Re: SGML and Forms
    • W. Eliot Kimber - from mail1.ability.netby web4.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id MAA11258Wed, 4 Mar 1998 12:56:34 -0500 (EST)
      • <Possible follow-ups>
      • Martin Bryan - from mail1.ability.netby web4.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id EAA29788Thu, 5 Mar 1998 04:46:46 -0500 (EST) <=
        • Chris Maden - from mail1.ability.netby web4.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id LAA04864Thu, 5 Mar 1998 11:27:51 -0500 (EST)
        • Paul Prescod - from mail1.ability.netby web4.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id OAA11471Thu, 5 Mar 1998 14:47:34 -0500 (EST)
      • Martin Bryan - from mail1.ability.netby web4.ability.net (8.8.5/8.6.12) with ESMTP id EAA28942Fri, 6 Mar 1998 04:55:24 -0500 (EST)