RE: Error correction (Was also Announcement)

["Didier PH Martin" <martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Heiki,

You just brought more errors here heiki, let's make some corrections.

a) I didn't said format="dsssl" read again the message. You invented it. I
also said that format was an error and that this should be replaced by
media="" which is already a provision stated in actual specs and does a
better job. And no, I am not confused about the two concepts. Read carefully
the message, you'll see.
b) The specs do not say explicitly what the interpreter has to do in terms
of rendering but the processing instruction may require the quality level
for rendering. This mean the devices needed to experience waht the original
document designed intented. For example, like stated in the specs example 3D
glasses may be needed to better experience the document. So, if I mention
media="screen, CGM", the interpreter can respect the level of quality by
rendering the document on the screen with a CGM type quality or behavior not
necessarily produce a CGM file. Same for Tex, etc... All these languages
have a rendering model like, for instance CSS, which has a rendering model
based on blocks. CGM is, itself, based on a different rendering model. Look
closely at the specs especially the extract I included in the message.
c) the styles sheet interpreter may have to create an intermediary file or
pipe or whatever the communication mechanism is the style interpreter and
the rendering engine are decoupled but this is not a necessary requirement.
This is a question of internal architecture. However, a versatile renderer
may load the appropriate renderer based on the level of quality required
like an OS load the appropriate driver when needed. In fact, media="screen,
CGM" just mention to the interpreter that rendering is for the screen and
that the quality level for this rendering is equal or superior to CGM (i.e.
just have the same look and feel as a CGM output would have - respecting the
CGM rendering model).
d) on the long term, the second media parameter should may disappear when a
uniform rendering model is shared by all computer on the globe. Until then,
we have to deal with certain diversity. Or maybe the whole community may
want to keep such sane diversity as long as style interpreter know how to
degrade gracefully the rendering when the quality of rendering is not met.
e) Don't deform the message intent please!

Regards
Didier PH Martin
mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.netfolder.com
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Heikki Toivonen
Sent: Friday, January 29, 1999 3:07 AM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Error correction (Was also Announcement)


> So maybe I should use media="screen, rtf" or media="screen, CGM"
> this way I
> would be compliant with the specs :-) Is it OK now?
>
> So I would get instead:
>
> <?xml-stylesheet href="urn:tns:myscript" type="text/xsl"
> media="screen, CGM"

I think you are still confusing two concepts here that Chris is trying to
point out. Let me see if I can help you out.

screen = rendering
cgm = abstraction (data format)
dsssl = abstraction (style format, transformation rules format)
xsl = abstraction (style format, transformation rules format)
css = abstraction (style format)

So what does the above mean? If you specify media="CGM" or format="CGM" you
just say that you want to convert the current XML file to the format
specified in media or format attribute. The new format is still an
abstraction, not rendering. You can not see, nor hear nor feel a CGM file.
You need to render it on screen or some other device to actually experience
it. It does not help if you specify format="tex" -- you still need to render
the TeX format before you can experience it, be the rendering on screen, on
paper or voice. This becomes absurd if you specify format="dsssl". You say
you convert your document to stylesheet? (But maybe I do not know enough
about DSSSL or XSL...)

You do not need to specify the intermediate format(s) in the stylesheet
processing instruction, your software does that automatically (if it needs
to). For example, I create an XML file with a CSS stylesheet
(type="text/css"), your program can read a CSS stylesheet, it produces a
LaTeX file from my XML file and CSS style, the LaTeX file is then converted
to DVI and then to PS and GhostScript is launched to render it on screen. As
the author of that original XML file and CSS stylesheet I do not want to
know about the details after that.

If you really wanted to *convert* your XML file to another format that is
fine as well. But I sure do not expect you to say *that* in a stylesheet
processing instruction.

This is how I understood your intensions, sorry if this was totally
irrelevant.

--
  Heikki Toivonen
  http://www.citec.fi


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