Re: [xep-support] block-container w/in basic-link doesn't result in working link

From: W. Eliot Kimber (eliot@isogen.com)
Date: Thu Nov 07 2002 - 09:48:22 PST


G. Ken Holman wrote:

>> There was a a long and hot dispute a while ago on one of the list
>> regarding the exact area that must be made hot according to the
>> recommendation.
>
>
> I remember it well! :{)}
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/XSL-FO/message/2132
>
> On my screen the replies are not in chronological order ... not sure how
> to arrange them as such. I think it helps to read them in order.

I think we can all agree that the FO spec is seriously underspecified in
this area.

Certainly my desire and expectation is that all the areas descending
from a basic-link are hot up to, but not including, any nested basic
links, with the possible exception of "non-sensical" areas, such as
markers and footnotes, which should probably not be hot at all as a
result of being anchored within the scope of a basic link.

But David's point in one of the posts about the need for basic-link as a
separate construct at all is a good one: I see no reason why the link
properties can be allowed everywhere. David's argument that existence of
basic-link suggests an intended greater degree of restriction is
somewhat compelling (but I actually doubt that was the motivation for
basic link--I suspect it was more a case of trying to provide a clear
analog to HTML A element--in my experience, having spent the last 15
years thinking very deeply about hypertext, is that most people don't
think very deeply about hyperlinking and the sort of nutty issues David
has exposed that you get when you mix the abstract representation of
links with concrete renditions and user interfaces--when the focus is
formatting the details of link behavior usually get less attention than
they should--this is just normal human nature).

It is a complex issue and there are no clear answers when you start
asking the deeper questions that David is asking. However, I think that
XSL Formatter's behavior is closer to what most users would intuitively
expect, even if it can lead to non-sensical results in some use cases.

For example, in my button example, I would expect that the entire
button, including the borders and padding, would be part of the hot
region, not just the text, which I could get by putting the basic-link
inside the block-container.

Cheers,

E.\

-- 
W. Eliot Kimber, eliot@isogen.com
Consultant, ISOGEN International
1016 La Posada Dr., Suite 240
Austin, TX  78752 Phone: 512.656.4139
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