[topicmapmail] How about having a language to describe the display of topics

[Kal Ahmed]

Hi,

If I understand you correctly, I think that I have been having the same i=
ssue=20
as you. A "generic" topic map browser like the Omnigator is great for get=
ting=20
a topic map on-line quickly and for learning about topic maps by browsing=
=20
them in a consistent manner. But, in the real world, we want "People" top=
ics=20
to appear with a different layout to "Places" topics,  or "Project" topic=
s.=20

I have found that using a template-based system (actually using Jakarta=20
Velocity) with a simple driver program that selects the template to use b=
ased=20
on the topic type works pretty well. I think that you could also do somet=
hing=20
similar with XSLT.

Would it be worth standardising such a page description language specific=
ally=20
for topic maps ? MHO is no. I think it is much better to use the existing=
=20
tools (Velocity/JSP/XSLT) but with a sensitivity for the structure that t=
opic=20
maps provide (type hierarchies, scope, variant names etc.). I say this fo=
r=20
two reasons. Firstly, it would be a lot of effort to try and create a=20
templating/layout scheme specifically for topic maps - and if 80% of the =
work=20
is done already then why repeat that ? Secondly, it would be yet another=20
thing for topic map application developers to learn - I think it would be=
=20
much better if an XSLT whizz could just sit down with a set of documented=
=20
XSLT templates for extracting information from a topic map and come up wi=
th=20
the stylesheets using the language (s)he knows.

Cheers,

Kal

On Wednesday 11 December 2002 20:01, Marius Oancea wrote:
> Ok, TopicMaps is good for model things, facts ....
>
> I can understand this. But how to display to the end user all this thin=
gs.
>
> A layout like omnigator or other topicmaps browsers is good enough for
> profersionals.
>
> Nobody (only I) fill the needs for a standardized way of specifiing the
> layout of a topic ?
>
> For example:
>
>     If u want to display a topic of type paintings, you want to have
> occurences in a specific order (first name, then widht, then height the
> ....). Some of the occurences to not appear to the enduser in some
> cases.  Not all paintings has to have the same layout (clients are craz=
y
> don't like consistency everytime).
>
>     U don't think is a good ideea to have a formal way to specify the
> layout of the topic and the to be able to overwrite this layout at the
> type level (Paintins) and then at the level of instance ( if one client
> dont like painting A to be rendered like any other paintings because
> .... is simply crazy or whatever).
>
>     I don't think is good to keep this layout information in the
> TopicMaps itself (against MVC to combine the model with the view). What
> do you think ?
>
>     One posibility is to have the posibility to apply different XSLT to
> different topics.
>
>     Have anybody a  nice looking (webuser frendly) site made with a
> topicmap backend ?
>
> I hope I'm not to stupid to ask all this questions
>
>                \\\|///
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>  +----------oOOo-(_)-oOOo------------------+
>
>  |   Dipl. Ing. Marius Virgil OANCEA       |
>  |   Project manager & Software developer  |
>  |   @ s.c. SEC s.r.l.                     |
>  |   email: mariuso@ains.at                |
>  |   phone: +40 722 552194                 |
>  |   fax  : +40 269 236733                 |
>
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--=20
Kal Ahmed, techquila.com
XML and Topic Map Consultancy

e: kal@techquila.com
p: +44 7968 529531
w: www.techquila.com