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SGML Extended Facilities and HyTime Two


 
Charles F.   Goldfarb
  Principal
  Information Management Consulting
 USA
 
ABSTRACT:
 
Charles Goldfarb provides an overview of the SGML extended facilities which have been published as an annex to the HyTime standard and explains why these facilities are generally applicable to SGML and XML. He then presents a tour of the 1997 revision of HyTime.
 
 

What's New for HyTime?

 
  • HyTime 2 (ISO/IEC 10744:1997)
    • SGML Extended Facilities
    • Enhanced HyTime architecture
  • Topic Maps ( http://www.hightext.com/tnm>www.hightext.com/tnm )
  • Standard Music Description Language (SMDL)
  • Interchange Standard for Multimedia Interactive Documents (ISMID)
    • Architectural forms for stimuli and responses
    • FCS-based frames
 
 

SGML Extended Facilities

 
  • For all SGML, not just HyTime
  • Will move to revised SGML standard
  • Definition requirements for
    • Architectural Forms (AFDR)
    • Groves and Property Sets (PSDR)
    • Formal System Identifiers (FSIDR)
    • Lexical Types (LTDR)
  • "General Architecture"
  • Modular conformance: use any or all
 
 

Architectural Form Definition Requirements (AFDR)

 
  • Define "enabling architectures" for SGML documents
  • Element type, attribute, and notation forms
  • Permits common processing tools across multiple document types
  • Documents are "derived" from architectures
  • Multiple derivation levels and/or bases
 
 

Key AFDR Concepts

 
  • Client document is "derived" from one or more "base" architectures (meta-DTDs)
  • Client identifies its base architectures via "architecture support declarations"
  • Any DTD can be a meta-DTD (even a derived DTD)
  • An SGML parser can recognize "architectural instances" (as well as normal document instance)
 
 

Architecture Benefits

 
  • Proven technique since 1990
  • Provides OOPS-like inheritance of attributes, content models
  • Manages multiple name spaces without conflict
  • No new syntax: use with any DTD (e.g., HTML)
  • Transparent to normal SGML parsing
  • Free implementation in SP
 
 

Property Set Definition Requirements (PSDR)

 
  • Classes and properties recognized by a parsing process
    • SGML is one such process
    • HyTime datatok is another
  • SGML classes include elements, attributes, data characters
  • Properties of SGML elements include element type, markup, etc.
  • Property set definition document for any notation
 
 

Graph Representation Of property ValuEs (GROVE)

 
  • Structure created by a parsing process
    • Graph nodes are instances of classes
    • Graph arcs are properties of nodes
  • "Grove plan" determines which classes and properties are included
  • Grove contains multiple connected trees
  • Groves linked to form hypergroves
  • Common object model for any notation
 
 

General Architecture

 
  • Extensions to SGML semantics
  • Immediate reference typing
  • Attribute inheritance with default value lists for implied attributes
    • DVL: Inheritance from ancestors
    • AFDR: Inheritance from base classes
  • Modular conformance: use any or all
 
 

Formal System Identifier Definition Requirements (FSIDR)

 
  • Coexists with informal system IDs
  • FSI definition document describes all system storage facilities
  • Multiple storage managers permitted
    • Local: osfile, osfd
    • Portable: url, neutral, mimetype
    • Global: literal, ThisOne
    • Container: sbento, tar, mime
 
 

Lexical Type Definition Requirements (LTDR)

 
  • Lexical types for attribute values, data content, pattern matching, addressing
  • Single definition mechanism for all uses
  • Use any modeling notation: Posix regular expressions, HyLex, et. al.
  • LTDR + AFDR + SGML provide generalized extensible schema facility
    • Transparent to parsers
    • Fully standardized; no ad hoc code
    • Doesn't confound lexical and structural
 
 

HyTime Architecture Enhancements

 
  • Facilities aligned with DSSSL
    • SDQL with HyTime addressing
    • Core expression language
    • Common SGML grove
  • Location addressing: grove-based (transparently), extensible
  • Hyperlinking: more link forms
  • Scheduling: fcsloc, calibrated schedules
 
 

Foundation for Future of SGML and XML

 
  • Data modeling and precise document type definition (LTDR, AFDR)
  • Network-awareness with no change to document instances (FSIDR)
  • Common object model for all notations (PSDR, groves)
  • Name spaces (AFDR)
  • Inherited attribute values and content models (AFDR, GA)
  • Rich linktyping and locating (HyTime)
 
 

For Further Information ...

 
Visit the HyTime Users' Group at http:\\\\www.hytime.org>www.hytime.org

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