[tei-council] the "key" attribute

[Sebastian Rahtz]

James Cummings wrote:
> Whichever you know how to handle?  I view them sort of as different things.
>  To me @key gives a record that can (if understood) be used to provide more
> information about the element content, whereas @target provides a reference
> to something.  i.e. the first is a key for metadata, while the second is
> more a form of transclusion and/or citation.  But, thinking about it, maybe
> that isn't really much of a distinction.
>   
I  can see the argument for allowing both, yes. But on the whole
I think it gives an irritating possibility of confusion without buying
a huge amount. I'd put my money on "just switch object elements to use
@target" if I had to choose.
> Are you proposing that anywhere that @target exists, this could be replaced
> by a mutually exclusive @key?  i.e. <ref key="DB123">ref</ref> ?
>   
No, I was not; but that would not be an impossible argument

-- 
Sebastian Rahtz      
Information Manager, Oxford University Computing Services
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