The XLink WD (19980303), section 5, discusses extended link groups and in
particular how to control the depth of recursion with the steps=3D"n" att=
ribute.
As far as I can tell, though, it doesn=92t explain how different steps
attributes in successively-visited extended link groups should affect the
*overall* search for extended link groups.=20
For instance, suppose there=92s a hierarchy of documents with extended li=
nk
groups that looks, schematically, something like this (using the "-->" to
indicate an extended link group):
A --> B
B --> C, D, E
C --> G
If the extended link group in A has steps=3D"1," and the one in B has
steps=3D"2," and the one in C has no steps attribute at all, where does t=
he
search stop (assuming it to have been initiated from A)?=20
(1) With B? (That would be one step, which would mean that the "master
extended link group" -- A's in this case -- takes precedence over any
succeeding ones dug up in the search.)=20
(2) With G? (That would seem to imply that B's steps=3D"2" attribute had
overridden A=92s steps=3D"1.")=20
(3) Or somewhere else -- perhaps even (assuming that the absence of a ste=
ps
attribute for C implies what it seems to imply) going on indefinitely?
Has anyone working on an XLink engine grappled with this yet? Any other
voices that would like to be heard? :)
Thanks.
John E. Simpson | It's no disgrace t'be poor,
simpson@polaris.net | but it might as well be.
| -- "Kin" Hubbard