presentational markup

[Michael Sperberg-McQueen]

<!-- This note was posted by Harry Gaylord, but owing to network
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From: Harry Gaylord <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: Representation & SGML
To: [hidden email]
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 90 10:10:46 MET
In-Reply-To: <no.id>; from "Robert A Amsler" at Nov 28, 90 11:06 pm
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL8]

  There are two markup standards at ISO, SGML and ODA  (Office Document
Architecture). Presentational markup is the aim of ODA.
  It might be worthwhile to include very limited presentational
information in TEI, but unless that is the structural info we are
marking it will clutter the text up with non relevant info.
  If that is desired, a SGML formater will provide it without including
it in the basic file.
Harry Gaylord

[Robert A Amsler-2]

As I see it, the details about presentation would only be
suitable for use in the DTD itself, i.e. they refer to the
a property/effect of a tag, not of the text. Thus, what I'm
suggesting is that a DTD could include supplemental information
for each tag which notes whether it has presentation effects.
Presumably such effects would operate as modifications to
a standing `vector' of such properties (as Scribe uses to
change states when it encounters a request to, say, indent
while inside a previous request to reset the left margin).

What seems possible is that a set of device independent
presentation capabilities could be determined. I`d prefer they
be numerically unspecified, i.e. an `indent' isn't a number
but a presentation effect described in terms of other
presentation traits such as a `left margin'.

[Allen Renear, CIS, Brown Univ. 401-863-7312]

1) I think Ristow and Amsler are right: a specification of standard
   presentational markup for TEI tags would be a good thing.

2) However, preparing such a specification will be no small matter.
   I doubt if the TEI could do it without extending its schedule and
   receiving increased funding.

3) A formatting specification itself requires a standard declarative
   language.  The problems in developing such a language are
   considerable.  Fortunately there is one already under development
   in ISO/IEC JTC1/SC18 WG8.  It is DP10179: Document Style
   Semantics and Specification Language (DSSL).  Can anyone
   on this list comment authoritatively on DSSL?