Re: DOCBOOK: Bug at SGML DTD? Or at DSSSL stylesheets?

[Jorge Godoy <godoy at conectiva dot com>]

On Wed, 10 Jan 2001, ndw@nwalsh.com wrote:
> 
> I subscribe the view that the figure should be in the paragraph if
> it's part of the narrative flow of the paragraph:
> 
> <para>In the following figure, note the red widget:
> <figure><title>Blah, blah, blah</title>
> ...
> </figure>
> When you turn the handle to the left, you must move the widget out
> of the way or you'll break the sprocket. Replacing the sprocket is
> a difficult procedure that involves general anesthetic and a Tesla
> Coil.</para>

I see your point. I'm used to use <xref> here. I agree that putting it
inside the paragraph is interesting because you put all the
information block in one place. 

I have, on my documents:

<para>As shown in <xref idref='some-id'>, when you turn the handle to
the left...</para>

<figure id='some-id'>
....
</figure>

(the 'As shown' text may change, of course.)

> This happens more frequently with examples and equations, perhaps,
> than figures. If you don't want to have the figure in the paragraph,
> I think it's important to rewrite the text. I think this is really
> ugly:
> 
> <para>In the following figure, note the red widget:</para>
> <figure><title>Blah, blah, blah</title> ...  </figure> <para>When
> you turn the handle to the left, you must move the widget out of the
> way or you'll break the sprocket. Replacing the sprocket is a
> difficult procedure that involves general anesthetic and a Tesla
> Coil.</para>

I agree. This is really ugly and nothing can assure you that the
picture will be exactly after the paragraph. Things can 'float'
around. (Yes, there's the float attribute...) 

That's why I use the <xref> thing. 

You don't have to interrupt your idea / reading with the figure and
can only look at it after you know what you'll be looking
after. That's why I think that the whole text (idea) coming before is
interesting. 

> The other advantage to putting the figure inside the paragraph is
> that you can "pick it up" all at once with tools that allow GUI
> manipulation of the document structure. Or point to it easily with a
> single, non-spanning XPointer.

Hmmmm... I haven't thought about this. 


-- 
Godoy. <godoy@conectiva.com>

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