[osis-core] Reference Syntax Proposal - Suggestion

[Todd Tillinghast]

> Hey Todd,
> 	Thanks for the example.  Most times it's better for me to
understand
> speaking with examples.  Ok, now what would be the problem with
encoding
> the proposed way?
> 
> <div osisID="Matt.1">
> 	<div>
> 		<title>The Ancestors of Jesus Christ</title>
> 		<p><verse osisID="Matt.1.1">This is the list of the
> ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who was a descendant
> of Abraham.</verseEnd>
> 		</p>
> 		<p><verse osisID="Matt.1.2 Matt.1.3 Matt.1.4 Matt.1.5
> Matt.1.6.a">From Abraham to King David, the following
> ancestors are listed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers;
> then Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab,
> Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was
> Ruth), Jesse, and King David.</verse>
> 		</p>
> 		<p><verse osisID="Matt.1.6.b Matt.1.7 Matt.1.8 Matt.1.9
> Matt.1.10 Matt.1.11">David to the time when the people of Israel were
> taken into exile
> in Babylon, the following ancestors are listed: David, Solomon (his
> mother was the woman who had been Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah,
Asa,
> Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon,
> Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.</verse>
> 		</p>
> 		<p><verse osisID="Matt.1.12 Matt.1.13 Matt.1.14
> Matt.1.15 Matt.1.16">From the time after the exile in Babylon to the
> birth of Jesus, the following ancestors are listed: Jehoiachin,
> Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud,
> Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, who married Mary, the mother of
> Jesus, who was called the Messiah.</verse>
> 		</p>
> 		<p><verse refStart="Matt.1.17">So then, there were
> fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen from David to
> the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from then to the birth of the
> Messiah.</verse></p>
> 	</div>
> 	<div>.... The rest of chapter one...</div>
> </div>
> 
> NOTE: I removed the reference after the title, and the note in the
> second 'verse', as I did not wish to vouch for the validity of that
> syntax-- totally separate issue that might get us off track from this
> subject.
> 
> 	-Troy.


I see two problems.
1) There is ambiguity in Matt.1.6.a, the ambiguity can be resolved by
using "@" to delimit where the extension starts.  (Matt.1.6@a)  (See
previous postings) Ps.1.1.a is not an extension in some reference
systems.  Ambiguity would exist between Ps.1.1.a as an extension and
Ps.1.1.a that is not an extension.  Ps.1.1@a, however would clear up the
issue.  (There could be Ps.1.1.a@a as an extension to the standard
reference system.)

2) I think that the cases where a verse is split will be far fewer than
the cases where an identifier does not exist in a document and the
secondary checks for extended versions will be executed in vain.  I
would rather have a simple mechanism to that precisely uses the
"standard" reference identifier with no extension and then use the split
information for the cases where I need it.  Also, from an
"outsider's"/beginner's perspective, I think it will not be obvious that
they have to do secondary check when they don't get a match using the
standard identifier, but a additional element whose purpose is to
identify standard identifiers that are not wholly contained by an
element would be more clear.  (I also like the simplicity of fewer
attributes and the fact that there can't be data errors between the
values in osisID and splitID.)


Whether we use: 

<verse osisID="Matt.1.2 Matt.1.3 Matt.1.4 Matt.1.5 Matt.1.6@a">From
Abraham to King David, the following ancestors are listed: Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers; then Perez and Zerah (their mother
was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother
was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.</verse>

Or 

<verse osisID="Matt.1.2 Matt.1.3 Matt.1.4 Matt.1.5 Matt.1.6"
splitID="Matt.1.6@a">From Abraham to King David, the following ancestors
are listed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers; then Perez
and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon,
Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse,
and King David.</verse>

is going to be a matter of what we as individuals prefer.  

As long as we use a delimiter "@" to mark where the extension begins I
can accept the first version if that is what the majority prefers. 

Todd