On Sep 7, 2005, at 2:19 PM, Kenny Graham wrote:
> I wouldn't lose any sleep over which is
> the most semantic way, as it can get fairly academic...
But that's why I love this list. Even the smallest things get
academic very quickly here. To get to the semantic root of it, ask
yourself "Does each subitem function as a definition of its parent?"
This is a good way to figure out what list (or table) to use. Ask
yourself, how do the data relate to each other?
* the data in the group all relate to each other equally = unordered
list (e.g., all items on a shopping list are on par with each other)
* the data mean something different if you change what proceeds or
succeeds them = ordered list (e.g., every item in a list of
directions must follow a specific other item, and lead a specific
other item) -- note that the order should change the meaning, and not
simply be a preference such as an unordered list that is sorted in
some manner. Menu items and alphabetized shopping lists do not change
their meaning if you re-order them.
* the data are sectioned, and each section is an unordered list with
each item relating (equally) to a title for the section = definition
list (with "section titles" being the defined terms), even if there
is only one section so long as that section is "titled."
* the data relate as an unordered list, but in two mutually
independent ways = table (if you find yourself considering the
coordination of two different unordered lists so that each requires
no order but both must be in the same order, e.g., an unordered list
of cities, each with a sub-list of population, latitude, and
longitude, then this is a two-dimensional relationship that is best
shown with rows and columns)
Note that this is why calendars give people headaches:
- they have columns that are an ordered (not un-ordered) list that
acts as a cycle, but no rows (move Sunday from the last column to the
first, and all Sunday dates change rows but not meaning)
- they have sections like dl's (months), but the content of each
section is ordered (days)
--
Ben Curtis : webwright
bivia : a personal web studio
http://www.bivia.com
v: (818) 507-6613
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