Re: XSL and CSS?

Subject: Re: XSL and CSS?
From: "Didier PH Martin" <martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 13:18:20 -0400
Hi,

After reading the CSS specs (for the Nth time :-) it reminded me that it is
based on two basic objects:
- The block object
- the inline object

New objects have been added like for instance the page object, but let's
concentrate on these two for now. The CSS BLOCK object seems to be, in
certain ways, somewhat related to the HTML DIV object and the CSS INLINE
object somewhat related to the HTML SPAN object. Said differently, the
formatting objects, block and inline, are used to create an area (block) and
an area's content (inline). In the ISO standard language named DSSSL, this
is respectively equivalent to:
- paragraph
- sequence.

In XSL Fo, the following objects could be said equivalent if not equal to
the CSS objects and in certains ways to the equivalent DSSSL objects:
- Fo:block
- Fo:inline

I didn't checked if CSS and XSL, block and inline objects properties are
identical but, it would make sense that the CSS block and inline objects,
and the XSL block and inline objects would have the same property names and
have the same property set cardinality (at least they come both from the
same family)

So if I look at W3C or ISO languages (without being inhabited by bad bigotry
habits :-) It seems to resemble to:

CSS:			XSL				DSSSL
Block			Block				paragraph
inline		Inline			sequence

Of course there is also more subtle constructs like object aggregates and so
on, but if we take just a bit at a time, there is probably more unity than
seen at first sight. However there is more than one way to express the same
think as if I would say to you: Au revoir, goodby, Heyda (should be a with a
o on top of it and pronounced Heydo), auf Wiedersehen, sayonara (sound
spelled with occidental characters). The sound is different, the language is
different, but we are talking of the same thing.

Simple Wednesday afternoon comment :-)

regards
Didier PH Martin
mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.netfolder.com


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