[tei-council] Conformance inconsistency

Christian Wittern cwittern at gmail.com
Fri Oct 26 03:25:23 EDT 2007


Daniel O'Donnell wrote:
> This is a very important last minute query imo. Conal's view is what I
> meant--I'm the source of the algorithmically convertable--I think.
>   

> Can we clarify this before the end of the weekend?
>
>   
actually "algorithmically conformant".  We did discuss this quite 
extensively.
If memory serves right, we agreed that if we using namespaces, the only 
way to do so would be, as Conal says. "to use namespaces correctly".  I 
do not see a need to reopen this discussion now, but we might need to 
finetune the wording of 23.3.

To be more specific, as to the point originally raised by Syd:

<quote (from Syd's message)>
#CF, 23.3 "Conformance":
  A document is also said to be TEI Conformant if it is a
  well-formed XML document which can be transformed algorithmically
  and automatically into a TEI Conformant document as defined above
  without loss of information.

#CFNS, 23.3.4 "Use of the TEI Namespace":
  A schema which introduces non-TEI elements or attributes within
  the TEI namespace is also non-TEI Conformant;
</quote>

As you will see, one is talking about a schema, the other about a 
document instance.  Conformance is only relevant to document instances,  
(see the beginning of 23.3, where it says <q>The notion of /TEI 
Conformance/ is intended to assist in the description of the format and 
contents of a particular XML document instance or set of documents.</q>)

The context of 23.3.4:
<q>A TEI Schema may be created which assigns TEI elements to some other 
namespace, or to no namespace at all. A document using such a schema 
must be regarded as a TEI extension and cannot be considered TEI 
Conformant, though it may be TEI Conformable. A schema which introduces 
non-TEI elements or attributes within the TEI namespace is also non-TEI 
Conformant; such practices are strongly deprecated as they may lead to 
serious difficulties for processing or interchange.</q>
makes it quite clear that the main focus is still on potential or actual 
conformance.  Only in passing is mentioned, that schemas, if they aspire 
to be for conformable documents, should not assign elements or 
attributes to the TEI namespace; it goes without saying that the 
resulting documents would be non-conformant.

Algorithmical transformation of course has to work without looking at 
the specifics of your document, so it can more or less only be a 
transform that simply takes out everything which is not in the TEI 
namespace.  Putting something into the TEI namespace that does not 
belong there is making exactly this transformation impossible.

Christian

-- 

 Christian Wittern 
 Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University
 47 Higashiogura-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8265, JAPAN



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