RE: [dita] Nested index terms

[Robert D Anderson <robander@us.ibm.com>]

In the IBM internal implementation, we convert this markup:
<indexterm>Top level
  <indexterm>Nested 1</indexterm>
  <indexterm>Nested 2</indexterm>
  with additional text
</indexterm>

to this in the index:
Top level with additional text
   Nested 1
   Nested 2

So, the sample above is equivalent to this, and many other possible
combinations:
<indexterm>Top level with additional text
  <indexterm>Nested 1</indexterm>
</indexterm>
<indexterm><indexterm>Nested 2</indexterm>
Top level with additional text
</indexterm>

The DITA open toolkit has this same behavior as its goal, but is not there
yet - the indexing code could not be completely reused, due to differences
between the toolkit architecture and our internal toolset's architecture.

I understand that with the Blast Radius implementation, the "with
additional text" part of my original sample would be dropped, with a
warning. That seems equally acceptable to me, as long as there is a warning
- this does not come up often with our users, though somebody did request
that we support it way-back-when.

Robert D Anderson
IBM Authoring Tools Development
Chief Architect, DITA Open Toolkit


                                                                           
             "Grosso, Paul"                                                
             <pgrosso@ptc.com>                                             
                                                                        To 
             09/30/2005 11:49          <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>         
             AM                                                         cc 
                                                                           
                                                                   Subject 
                                       RE: [dita] Nested index terms       
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           




Thanks for answering, Paul.

I'd be interested in hearing what others think too,
both in terms of what users would do/expect and in
terms of what other current implementors do.

More comments below.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Prescod [mailto:paul.prescod@blastradius.com]
> Sent: Friday, 2005 September 30 10:43
> To: Grosso, Paul; dita@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [dita] Nested index terms
>
> I don't think that Paul got an answer to his question. Your
> code in the
> second example below should generate:
>
> Top level
>            Nested 1
>            Nested 2
>
> That's how Blast Radius implemented it anyhow.

So, am I correct to understand that you're saying that:

<indexterm>Top level
  <indexterm>Nested 1</indexterm>
  <indexterm>Nested 2</indexterm>
</indexterm>

is effectively equivalent to:

<indexterm>Top level
  <indexterm>Nested 1</indexterm>
</indexterm>
<indexterm>Top level
  <indexterm>Nested 2</indexterm>
</indexterm>

> The second example should probably be treated as an error. It

Do you mean "first example" here?

paul

> is a flaw
> of XML schemas and DTDs (inherited from SGML!) that does not make it
> possible for us to specify that explicitly in the DTD/schema.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Grosso, Paul [mailto:pgrosso@ptc.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 11:08 AM
> To: dita@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: RE: [dita] Groups - DITA 1.1 Issue #45: Add See, See Also
> indexing elements (IssueNumber45.html) uploaded
>
>
> There is something about indexterm (irrespective of
> this current proposal) that has always concerned me:
> its mixed content model.  Is something like:
>
> <indexterm>Top level
>   <indexterm>Nested</indexterm>
>   index term content.
> </indexterm>
>
> allowed (the DTD allows it)?  If so, what are the
> processing expectations?
>
> Also, what are the processing expectations of
>
> <indexterm>Top level
>   <indexterm>Nested 1</indexterm>
>   <indexterm>Nested 2</indexterm>
> </indexterm>
>
> (the DTD allows this too)?
>
>