Re: alternating tags in a list?

Andy Dent wrote:
> 
> ie: who writes the DOM code and where is it executed?

You write the DOM code and it is executed either before or after the XSL
style application.

> Isn't this just shifting a responsibility around, but admitting that the
> declarative model can't supply this by itself?

Yes.

Similarly, someone new to stylesheets might ask "Isn't this stylesheet
stuff just shifting responsibility around, but admitting that the generic
markup can't supply this by itself?" I would answer: "yes." The point is
that by segmenting layers, we can build a more robust, reliable,
implementable, clean, easy-to-understand system. The opposite of this
philosophy is HTML: scripting, interactivity, formatting, metadata and
generic markup all in one level. That isn't necessarily bad for some
applications, but it sure isn't very robust.

> How do I tell a browser that every 2nd line should be blue?

With JavaScript code executed when the document is loaded.

> I'd prefer to see the declarative language capable of defining this kind of
> event.

If all you are talking about is modular arithmetic, then there is room for
argument about the cost/benefit of modular arithmetic. Chris Maden's
solution did not strike me as much simpler than the DOM solution, but we
could debate that once his idea has been fleshed out. It's just a
judgement call.

If you are talking about the entire class of problems: "Anything I dream
up" then I would argue that JavaScript with the DOM is the right way to
handle that, not JavaScript in XSL.

 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for only himself
 http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco

"Sports utility vehicles are gated communities on wheels" - Anon


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