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Re: What is @xml:space about?

• From: Mike Sokolov <sokolov@ifactory.com>
• To: groups@johnmccaskey.com
• Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:34:02 -0400

It's not at all apparent to me that whitespace normalization is needed 
in the TEI example you gave.  I think that would depend on the end 
format.  For HTML, the spacing is already correct.

I always think the best practice is for the provider to make the 
whitespace be as intended in the input, if they care.  Otherwise one 
must rely on out-of-band information to make a decision.

-Sokolov

On 07/12/2012 09:18 AM, John P. McCaskey wrote:
> On 7/11/2012 11:46 PM, John Cowan wrote:
>> John P. McCaskey scripsit:
>>> Is there an established way for an XML document to announce to
>>> downstream processors what "default" processing -- trim, collapse,
>>> pre-line, nowrap, etc. -- was assumed in the encoding?
>> No, there isn't.  What counts as the Right Thing depends on the 
>> consuming
>> application.  The point of xml:space="preserve" is to persuade the
>> consumer that the producer intends for the whitespace to convey 
>> important
>> information.  The alternative is that the producer doesn't really care.
>> So if the producer wants to make sure that whitespace is normalized,
>> the best approach is to do its own normalization and then add
>> xml:space="preserve" to prevent the consumer from doing its own thing
>> with it.
> The comes up in TEI (www.tei-c.org).
>
> Encoding like the following is common both in practice and in the 
> published specifications.
>
> <persName>
>     His Excellency
> <forename>Edward</forename>
> <surname>Smith</surname>,
>     Shire of <placeName>Westerland</placeName>
> </persName>
>
> Clearly the encoder is expecting that during processing, space will 
> get collapsed and leading and trailing space will be trimmed. The 
> presumption is pervasive in TEI encodings. Just as the producer has a 
> way to tell the consumer, "Please don't mess with spacing," TEI needs 
> to have a way to say, "Yes, go ahead, please normalize."
>
> Should this be a part of the TEI spec globally? a parameter set in a 
> header? Should there be a tei:space that allows more values than 
> xml:base does and with "normalize" being the default? How would that 
> interact with xml:base?
>
> -- John
>
>
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• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: What is @xml:space about?
    • From: "John P. McCaskey" <groups@johnmccaskey.com>

• References:
  • What is @xml:space about?
    • From: "John P. McCaskey" <groups@johnmccaskey.com>
  • Re: What is @xml:space about?
    • From: Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com>
  • Re: What is @xml:space about?
    • From: Michael Kay <mike@saxonica.com>
  • Re: What is @xml:space about?
    • From: "John P. McCaskey" <groups@johnmccaskey.com>
  • Re: What is @xml:space about?
    • From: John Cowan <cowan@mercury.ccil.org>
  • Re: What is @xml:space about?
    • From: "John P. McCaskey" <groups@johnmccaskey.com>