[ebxml-dev] Documentation navigation aid

[Todd Boyle <tboyle@rosehill.net>]

If all the documents of ebXML were in html, they might have hypertext
links to each other.   In such a utopian world, it would be nice if
there were a common navigation metaphor.

Attached is a very sloppy drawing I'd like to suggest. The author of
each specification would put something like this octagon graphic
navigation aid on the front page of their spec. and on any page where it
is necessary to put hypertext link  to any other spec.    The OUTER ring
takes you directly to the corresponding passage in the other
specification (either PAGE 1 or the most relevant part).  The INNER ring
takes you to a footnote or explanatory passage in THIS document
explaining how THIS document relates to the OTHER document.

When found on the front page of any specification, all the outer links
would be live links.  When found inside a specification to point to
corresponding passages in other specs., most of the cells of the
octagon would usually be grayed out.

When only a sentence of explanation is required, it might be provided
as alt-text to the graphic i.e. it would display in a browser when you
float your mouse over that section of the octagon.
hth
Todd

Attachment: octagonNavigation.gif
Description: GIF image