SiteC Markers

Syntax

"Markers" are used within the SiteC to generate symbolic references between different HTML-files. This mechanism can be seen as an extension of the built-in HTML markers. In HTML 3.2 you can write: 

<A HREF="#headline2">Reference to Headline2</A>

...

<A NAME="headline2">Here Is Headline2</A>
Within the SiteC environment, the second line may be located in a different file. In this case, the expression HREF="#headline2" is replaced by the URL to the corresponding file. See a sample source for an example.

A prefered alternative to this HTML-marker notation is to insert a META-variable to the head of the document defining the marker: 

<META NAME="marker" CONTENT="headline2">
In this case, the HREF="#headline2" is replaced by the URL of the destination file (without the marker).

Ambiguities

If a certain marker is defined by several files, an ambiguity situation occures. This ambiguitiy is handled with the following strategy:
  • A marker exists in the same file:
    To remain compatible to the HTML notation, a local marker overrides the occurrence of any other marker. However, an error message is generated indicating the ambiguity.
  • Future Version: Ambiguity Resolution:
    In a future version of SiteC, in particular with respect to a multi-user interaction, ambiguities will be resolved by looking down the "document directory tree" starting from the referencing file. If a single occurrence of the marker is found, this occurrence is taken. If no marker was found, the search is repeated from the level above the referencing file and so on until a marker was found.
  • Several Markers were found:
    In this case, an error is generated an any one of the markers is taken.
Finally, if the marker is not defined at all, an error is generated and the hyperlink is disabled. Such a link is thus not "clickable".
Generated 11.2.2004 by Frank Bergmann