Re: Interactive XML

["Bill Lindsey" <blindsey@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nigel Hutchison wrote:

> <form action="action" method="method" >
  [ ... lots of form elements ... ]
> </form>

I'm not sure what I'm looking at here.  It looks a lot like
an HTML form.  I can agree that we want, at a minimum, the
corresponding level of functionality.  

I'm not sure I understand how that functionality is mapped 
to (some parts of) an XML instance.  Do you mean to represent 
a set of flow  objects that an XSL engine would render however
it sees fit? 

Presumably we'll also want to be able to attach behaviors such
as "OnClick, OnFocus, etc."  Some of those behaviors would
be built-in.  Should those that are user defined always be
expressed in ECMAScript, or through some syntax exposed by XSL?

I can see that some of those behaviors will involve rewriting
parts of the source document grove.  Through the DOM, perhaps?

Just for funsies, I've identified a few potential applications
for an XSL that supports behaviors.  I think they represent
some different levels of functionality we may want to consider.

1) a rolodex card editor
	A UI presents a form for editing the values on a
        business card. Update, Insert, Delete buttons cause
	an http message to be sent to server for the appropriate
	action.

2) a WYSI (almost) WYG docbook document editor
        Insert, delete text, elements and attributes without
        having to see the tags.  Constrains editing to enforce
	validity.

3) A visual XSL style sheet editor.
        Drag and drop layout components to define our rolodex card
        editor.  Popup dialogs for editing patterns and actions.

In thinking about these classes of applications, we can start
to ask some questions about what kinds of abstractions would
be required, and what types of interactions with the outside
world would be needed.

Cheers,

Bill


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