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Re: XML Notation PI

• From: John Cowan <jcowan@r...>
• To: "Pierre, Sebastian" <spierre@R...>
• Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 13:31:43 -0400

"Pierre, Sebastian" wrote:

>  I don't really see what it is useful for, because I remember that when a
> browser encounters a notation, he tries to give it to the program indicated
> by the SYSTEM address associated to the notation, this address can be
> pointed by an FPI.

You have (subtly) misread the XML Recommendation. Clause 4.7 says:

# They [XML processors] may additionally resolve the external identifier
# into the system identifier, file name, or other information needed to
# allow the application to call a processor for data in the notation described.

That is *not* the same as saying that the system identifier of a notation
declaration should be a path to an interpretive program.  Indeed, the
XML Rec does not specify the semantics of either the system or the public
identifier of a notation.

In SGML, however, the convention was that the external identifier information
pointed to the *definition* of the notation, either in a machine-processable
form or (more typically) in a natural language such as English.  That allowed
someone receiving the document to identify an appropriate processor,
in the worst case by implementing it!

>  For example if I have a PNG notation in my XML file, how can I get IE5
> or Mozilla to display it?

There is no standard convention for this, and indeed the use of notations
is probably excessively painful for this purpose: one must declare a
notation, declare an external entity using this notation, declare an
appropriate element with an appropriate attribute of type ENTITY, and
use the element at the appropriate place.

Use XLink instead.

-- 

Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis um dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@r...>
Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau,  || http://www.reutershealth.com
Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau,           || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.            -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)

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