Re: REL and REV attributes (Was: More comments on HTML 3.0)

Peter Flynn (pflynn@curia.ucc.ie)
Thu, 27 Apr 95 16:38:47 EDT

Absolutely. SCO is already using REL with specific keywords --
as I have mentioned in earlier mail -- and we intend to do more.

Is there a list of these at a URL somewhere?

Is it really a "go back to" or could it be "previous" or "next"
-- by which I mean previous or next in a logical tree --
or even "go to top"?

Previous and next already have keywords specified in HTML 3.0 draft.
Go to top could be -- in some interpretations -- equivalent to "parent".
But it might be useful to have a "top" keyword.

> Several commented that the REV attribute could be used for this
> purpose. But, the only works if we have an agreed upon
> semantics. And there are likely other examples, such as TOC,
> Index, Glossary. A few standard values would go a long way to
> promoting such use.

Can we start a canonical list?

{REL|REV} TITLE

TOP Beginning of the current [long?] document?
Logical top of the tree of which the current document
is a branch?

BACK Previous (logical) document, ie up one step in the
tree

FORWARD Next (logical) document, ie down one step in the tree

AUTHOR [Principal] person who wrote the current document

FUNDER :-)

OWNER [Principal] person responsible for this document
being here

>From HTML3:

HOME User's home page? Needed? Seeing as all browsers
implement this in their own functions anyway

TOC These all have well-defined uses
INDEX
GLOSSARY
COPYRIGHT

UP (and presumably DOWN?)

PREVIOUS|NEXT

HELP Valuable. Way to link to author-provided help.

BOOKMARK See comment under HOME

In a dimensionless Web, UP/DOWN, FORWARD/BACK, PREVIOUS/NEXT all seem
to me to mean the same thing: grandparent-parent-child
relationship. Or can someone whose brain is a little less fried than
mine clarify this?

All it seems to need is dynamic floating toolbars/buttonbars which
label with the REL/REV and flicker the TITLE value when the mouse
pointer traverses them.

///Peter