[microformats-discuss] Wanted: Sample code to convert vcard to hcard

[Tantek Ç elik]

On 8/9/05 4:56 AM, "Bud Gibson" <bud at thecommunityengine.com> wrote:

> Tantek:
> 
> On Aug 9, 2005, at 1:22, Tantek Çelik wrote:
> 
> 
>> Hi Bud,
>> 
>> On 8/8/05 2:05 PM, "Bud Gibson" <bud at thecommunityengine.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> It seems impossible to me to fully specify something like hCard in an
>>> XMDP
>>> 
>> All successful formats that I know of have prose description that goes
>> beyond what is described by their schema/grammar/dtd.
>> 
>> It is both futile and undesirable to attempt to represent
>> everything about a
>> format in a machine readable format.  Unless of course you're
>> looking to do
>> pure research.
>> 
> 
> Agreed.  I find XMDPs provide a good summary of how the microformat
> works.
> 
> Generally, I find you have to come up with implementations for
> specific microformats, but there are some decent general strategies
> for processing them.

Yes.

>>> because hCard is so fluid.
>>> 
>> Could you be more specific?
>> 
> Just the point Brian was bringing up.  It's possible to add
> extensions like skype did.

That has nothing to do with hCard really.

The only necessary extension there (for Skype) is a new URL scheme, and
that's a flexibility feature of URLs.

Most uses of "x-" properties in vCard etc. that I've seen are frankly the
vendor/developer just being stupid/lazy (sorry to be harsh).  In the 90%
case, with a little bit of more thoughtful design, it becomes clear how to
represent the additional information as a URL or as some other standard
vCard property.


> Personally, I'm really excited about how microformats facilitate
> portable scripting.

This is a very important point.  Thanks for bringing it up.

To date, web designers have discovered that microformats enable them to
reuse portions of the style sheets.

But you are absolutely correct.  Microformats also better enable re-use of
scripts as well.  I wonder where we should write that down on the wiki...

Thanks,

Tantek