Dave Morris hazarded the following hazy recollection:
> >From memory ... as I understand it ... they have what they admit
> is a less than optimal approach where they create a local look-aside
> data base which relates DTD names to URLs for retrieving the DTD.
> As I recall, the user may have to get involved the first time a new
> DTD is encountered. This is a laudable pragmatic approach. I don't
> think it cuts the mustard for access to a 'standard' definition
> of a widely used DTD such as HTML.
This isn't quite what happens.
We use the SGML Open format for a mapping between an SGML
public identifier and a corresponding system identifier.
(it's a file called `catalog')
[2] when Panorama receives an SGML document, it first checks to see if the
PUBLIC identifier is in the local CATALOG. If so, it uses the local DTD.
If not, it looks for a remote `catalog' file in the same directory as the
SGML file. If it finds one, the DTD and associated external entities can
be downloaded automatically, entirely without human intervention.
Why does this not `cut the mustard'? It certainly solves the problem,
and it uses published, vendor-neitral standards to do so.
Lee
-- Liam Quin, SoftQuad Inc +1 416 239 4801 lee@sq.com <URL:http://www.sq.com/> HexSweeper NeWS game;OPEN LOOK+XView+mf-fonts FAQs;lq-text unix text retrieval SoftQuad HoTMetaL/HTML Editor; SoftQuad Panorama/WWW SGML Viewer