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Re: Link subjects and targets
All:
Some terminology first:
Non-embedded annotation:
An annotation that is not attached to a specific location
within a target object/document. Non-embedded annotations
can be attached to either the beginning or end of the targe
object/document.
Embedded annotation:
An annotation that is attached to a specific location within
the target object/document.
Point embedded annotation:
An anntation that is attached to a single location within
a target object/document.
Spanning embedded annotation:
An annotation that is attached to contiguous span
within a target object/document (i.e. between two points.)
Immutable document:
An immutable document is one whose contents will not change
over time (i.e. read-only.)
Mutable document:
A mutable document is one whose contents may change over time
(i.e. read-write.)
If there are no objections, these definitions can be stuffed into
our glossary:
http://www.sunlabs.sun/people/wayne.gramlich/work/w3c/annote/glossary.html
Specifying locations in immutable documents is quite easy, a simple
byte offset will do. Specifiying locations in mutable documents
is more tricky, since the document contents can change and thereby
change the absolute byte offset of the location. For both text
and HTML documents, some sort of pattern based (i.e. reg. exp.)
will work. When HTML named anchors (i.e. <A NAME="...">) are
available in mutable documents, they are good candidates for location
specification as well. No matter what, annotations attached to
mutable documents may become broken if the document is changed
sufficiently.
Non-embedded annotation:
(Target-URL, Annotation-URL, Rel)
Point embedded annotation:
(Target-URL, Target-location, Annotation-URL, Rel)
Span embedded annotation:
(Target-URL, Target-location1, Target-location2, Annotation-URL, Rel)
Locations:
Immutable Text Document
Byte-offset | Pattern
Mutable Text Document
Pattern
Immutable HTML Document
Byte-offset | Pattern | #Name
Mutable HTML Document
Pattern | #Name
-Wayne