TEI TRC Core Subcommittee

Notes for telephone conference of 1996-12-16

TC Core M01


Dominic Dunlop

19 December 1996

Table of Contents


1.1 Attendance


1.2 Administrivia

It was agreed that a quorum for this and future telephone conferences would be three, including a TEI editor if at all possible. If voting is necessary to resolve issues, a majority of those present shall suffice.

DD agreed to take notes at meetings, and to circulate them by e-mail to subcommittee members.

It was agreed that no official chair was necessary.

The agenda proposed by CMSMcQ in e-mail of 1996-12-12 for this and subsequent conferences was accepted. The headings which follow are (apart from interpolations) taken from that agenda, which, in turn, are taken from TEI TRC Core W01 "Problems assigned to the TEI TRC Core Subcommittee" (which, in its turn, takes them from TEI ED W67).

1.3 Item 1.1.1 1996-03-26 from Carole E. Mah (addSpan)

(TEI TRC Core W01 1.1.2 addresses same issue)

Subcommittee was broadly in favour of adding <AddSpan> to the list of global inclusions, resolving Carole's complaint that this element is not legal at some points where it might reasonably be used. DD dissented, however, agreeing with Syd Bauman that use of linking is the right approach.

ACTION: Subcommittee to revisit in a later conference.

STATUS: Open

1.4 Item 1.2 1995-01-17 from Hans Dybkjaer (teiCorpus2)

Hans identifies three spelling inconsistencies in P3: TEI.corpus2/teiCorpus.2, person/participant and personGrp/participantGrp. These issues seem simple, but before resolving them (arbitrarily), conference needs to check that nothing deeper is involved.

ACTION:

STATUS: Open

1.5 Item 1.3.2 1995-02-06 from Peter Robinson (lists)

Peter seems to be in error in asserting that <list>s must have at least two <item>s: DTD says item+. Perhaps, suggests CMSMcQ, he means "at least one". That is, he wants the DTD to allow empty <list>s. DB commented that such things exist in the real world. DD noted that misbehaving transduction software could generate empty lists, and, because it was usually in error in doing so, detection by a parsing against a DTD prohibiting them was desirable. CMSMcQ pointed out that similar considerations applied to empty <div>s (and friends). Feeling of subcommittee was that, by default, if would be more useful to more users for TEI DTD to allow elements such as these to be empty; those wanting a more restrictive model could tighten things up themselves. DD commented that a global "tight/loose" system entity Would Be Nice.

ACTION:

STATUS: Open

1.6 Item 1.3.3 1995-02-06 from Peter Robinson (lists again)

Same issue as 1.3.3 above.

1.7 Item 1.3.6 1995-07-29 from Nancy Ide

Nancy wants <s> to be allowed as parent to <q>. Currently, because the content model of <s> is %phrase.seq, and <q> is a member of %hqinter (and hence %inter), this is not possible. While the immediate problem can be patched around (for example, by using <seg>), Nancy's request does not seem unreasonable. It highlights two related broad problems: is the approach of having three element classes (%inter, %chunk and $phrase.seq) correct?; and, if so, is the membership of these classes correct. CMSMcQ commented that a quick fix would be to replace all %phrase.seq in the DTD with %paraContent. There might, however, be undesirable consequences.

ACTION:

STATUS: Open

1.8 Item 1.3.7 1995-07-29 from CMSMcQ (reply to NI)

Same issue as 1.3.6 above

1.9 Item 1.3.8 1995-11-01 from Harry Gaylord

Harry says "Please give us back the <s> tag we can use directly within a <div>...". This is mystifying: <div> may be parent of <s> in P3. Perhaps, suggests CMSMcQ, recalling an example involving the 23rd psalm from P1, he means <seg>, not <s>. The subcommittee wasn't sure that this was the right interpretation. In any event, this smells like the same issue as 1.3.6 above.

ACTION: DD: Contact Harry to for clarification, and to request (presumably failing) examples of what he wants to do.

1.10 Item 1.3.9 Nick Finke (off agenda)

Same issue as 1.3.3 above.

1.11 Item 1.3.10 Keith Handley (off agenda)

Same issue as 1.3.3 above.

1.12 Item 2.4 Harry Gaylord on s and p

Same issue as 1.3.8 above.

1.13 Item 2.5 Nancy Ide on s and q

Same issue as 1.3.6 above.

1.14 Item 2.6 CMSMcQ on s and q

Same issue as 1.3.6 above.

1.15 Item 2.15 Syd Bauman NWIs item 3 (address and phone numbers)

One interpretation of Syd's request is that he wants to be able to vary the content model of address according to the address-formation regulations of particular administrations. Subcommittee agreed that this was some way outside the competence of the TEI. The current content of <address> seems adequate, with the exception of provision for electronic contact points (phone, fax, e-mail, URL...). DD commented that new contact methods (pagers, for example) pop up with annoying frequency, and to try to keep up by inventing elements seems like a mug's game: something more general is needed. (Just what was not discussed.)

ACTION:

STATUS: Open

1.16 Item 2.15 Syd Bauman NWIs item 4 (URLs in xptr ladders)

The subcommittee agreed that there was no need for a specific new element: <xptr>s are already adequate for referencing URLs where necessary.

STATUS: Closed

Dominic Dunlop