[uf-new] collection-design-pattern proposal

[Danny Ayers]

On 24/04/07, Manu Sporny <msporny at digitalbazaar.com> wrote:
> Danny Ayers wrote:
> >> On Apr 22, 2007, at 10:12 PM, Manu Sporny wrote:
> >>
> >> > I propose that we use this collection-design-pattern mentioned
> >> > above for
> >> > specifying all collections due to the following advances over all
> >> > of the
> >> > other proposed methods:
> >
> > Nice idea, but I believe it's redundant. HTML already has collections,
> > ordered and unordered.
>
> Yes, you are correct according to your definition of a collection. The
> problem I'm describing is a little deeper than that...
>
> Apologies, I wasn't clear enough when it came to defining what a
> collection was... here are the definitions:
>
> collection: a non-localized, unstructured grouping of items.
> list      : a localized, structured grouping of items.
>
> A list is a subtype of a collection - the ontology would look something
> like this:
>
> + - grouping
>   + - collection
>     + - list
>
> HTML does provide lists - but that is only a sub-set of the 'grouping'
> problem.

Hmm, <ul> is semantically an unordered grouping...

> > (which re-raises the question of whether class="xoxo" is desirable)
>
> xoxo is desirable when you have two lists of items listed in a single
> Microformat <div>. If you want the first one included in the grouping,
> but don't want the second one - then you need something like xoxo.
>
> In other words - we want to be explicit, not implicit, about what is
> included in a uF and what is not.

I take your point, though I would have thought it better to use something like:

<div class="this_is_a_microformat">
   <ul class="class_of_the_items">
...


> The following is needed beyond the examples you gave:
>
>  - The ability to relate items that are not local to one another in an
>    HTML page.

doesn't this do that:

<ul>
   <li>here</li>
   <li><a href="#elsewhere">an item</a></li>
</ul>

>  - The ability to relate items on an unstructured basis.

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean - isn't a collection a
structure by definition?

Cheers,
Danny.

-- 

http://dannyayers.com