[topicmapmail] <subjectIndicator> element not mandatory ?

[Lars Marius Garshol]

* Thomas Francart
| 
| In the XTM DTD, the <subjectIdentity> element is not mandatory. It
| means that a topic element can be created without any subject...
| which is rather confusing.

Actually, that's not what it means. It means something subtly
different, which is that a topic element can be created without a
formal declaration of what its subject is. It still has a subject,
every topic does, but there's no formal declaration of what it is.
When you think about it, that makes sense, because not all subjects
have good subject indicators.

| In this case where no subjectIndentity is present, is the baseName
| playing the role of the subject Identity ? (something having to do
| the topic naming constraint ?) ?

It is the intention of the specification that the base names of a
topic should also serve as a formal identification of the subject's
identity. And usually this works quite well for humans as well. If
you're told that a topic has the name "Thomas Francart" you would feel
you knew what the subject was.

-- 
Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian         <URL: http://www.ontopia.net >
ISO SC34/WG3, OASIS GeoLang TC        <URL: http://www.garshol.priv.no >