Re: Interaction between force-page-count and initial-page-number

2004-02-09 Thread Peter B. West
Chris,

Comments below.

Chris Bowditch wrote:
Peter B. West wrote:

snip/

The Rec says of force-page-number:auto, 'If there is no next 
page-sequence or if the value of its initial-page-number is auto do 
not force any page.'  Should that read, '...the value of its 
initial-page-number is auto, auto-even or auto-odd...'?  If not, 
some questions of behaviour arise.


Hi Peter - I dont think the spec needs to say auto-even or auto-odd 
here. Unless I'm missing something it seems clear to me that if 
initial-page-number=auto-odd and the force-page-number=auto on the 
previous page-sequence then a page must be forced when the first page 
sequence ends on an odd page.
My point is that the spec is *not* clear on this.

1st p-s: What's your 1st number (my last is 11)?

The 2nd calculates that it's first number must be 13, based on 
initial-page-number:auto-odd.

2nd p-s: 13

The 1st p-s now forces a blank page, numbered 12.  If it were to query 
again, based on the new last page number, the dialogue would go


I dont see why it needs to re-query just because the last page number 
changed. After all the last page number changed as a result of 
communication between ps1 and ps2, so why go round again?

My purpose in setting this scenario out is to demonstrate that, in these 
circumstances, a requery is not necessary.  In general, though, if you 
have a mutual dependency, and the conditions on one side of the 
dependency change, you're up for another round.  In the circumstances 
outlined, the analysis indicates that no recursion is necessary.

However, there is nothing in the spec to indicate that a page sequence 
with force-page-number:auto should include its current last generated 
number in a query.  It simply indicates that such a page-sequence should 
find out from the following page sequence whether its first number is 
odd, even or auto, in order to determine its own last page number. 
Unfortunately, the following page sequence may not be able to answer 
that question without first finding out what the last page number of the 
preceding page-sequence is.

The scenario I outlined goes beyond what the spec states in order to 
resolve the deadlock.  If this process is intended by the editors, they 
need to spell it out.

1st p-s: 1st number (12)?
2nd p-s: 13
and the extra dialogue would be unnecessary.  Is this the intention? 


I agree this extra dialog is unnecessary but I couldnt tell from the 
quotes you made why you think the spec implies that it is necessary.
Peter
--
Peter B. West http://www.powerup.com.au/~pbwest/resume.html


Interaction between force-page-count and initial-page-number

2004-02-08 Thread Peter B. West
The editors,

I am seeking clarification of the relationship between the 
force-page-number and initial-page-number properties in certain 
circumstances: specifically, when the value of force-page-number is 
auto and the value of initial-page-number on a following page-sequence 
is either auto-even or auto-odd.  Apart from the descriptions of the 
properties, I found no other discussion about the interaction of these 
properties.

The Rec says of force-page-number:auto, 'If there is no next 
page-sequence or if the value of its initial-page-number is auto do 
not force any page.'  Should that read, '...the value of its 
initial-page-number is auto, auto-even or auto-odd...'?  If not, 
some questions of behaviour arise.

Say, for example, the last generated page of a force-page-number:auto 
page-sequence has an odd number, and the following page-sequence has an 
initial-page-number value of auto-odd.  The page-sequence queries the 
following page-sequence for first first page number.  The second 
page-sequence, in turn, queries the first page sequence for its last 
page number.  Who goes first?

Because the 1st page sequence is the only source of information on 
actual generated page numbers, the following scenario seems reasonable. 
 The 1st sequence queries the 2nd, passing its current generated last 
page number.  The 2nd then uses this number to generate a response. 
Let's say the generated last number is 11.

1st p-s: What's your 1st number (my last is 11)?

The 2nd calculates that it's first number must be 13, based on 
initial-page-number:auto-odd.

2nd p-s: 13

The 1st p-s now forces a blank page, numbered 12.  If it were to query 
again, based on the new last page number, the dialogue would go

1st p-s: 1st number (12)?
2nd p-s: 13
and the extra dialogue would be unnecessary.  Is this the intention? 
This approach avoids holes in the page numbering, but I note that the 
combination of force-page-count:odd and a following 
initial-page-number:auto-odd will force a such a hole.

Whatever the case, it would be worthwhile adding a clarification to the Rec.

Peter
--
Peter B. West http://www.powerup.com.au/~pbwest/resume.html