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%%% @LaTeX3-article{ LaTeX3-L3-006,
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%%% author = "David Rhead",
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%%% title = "Structures to be supported",
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%%% date = "April 1992",
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%%% status = "discussion paper",
%%% abstract = "",
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% These notes are along the same lines as Wessel Kraaij's comments, as
% copied from comp.text.tex by Rainer.
% Please feel free to replace ...
\documentstyle{l3ms001}
\sloppy
% ... by a command to map a "2.09 article structure" into whatever
% design you like which is compatible with that structure.
\newcommand{\BibTeX}{{\rm B\kern-.05em{\sc i\kern-.025em b}\kern-.08em
T\kern-.1667em\lower.7ex\hbox{E}\kern-.125emX}}
\begin{document}
\title{Structures to be supported}
\author{David Rhead}
\date{April 1992}
\maketitle
\tableofcontents
\section{Motivation}
\subsection{Dual role of 2.09 style files}
In \LaTeX\ 2.09, ``style files'' confuse 2 roles:
\begin{itemize}
\item definition of a structure.
(I think I've heard this given as a justification for the designs:
``the designs don't matter, because the style-files are just there
to define what structures are supported''.)
\item mapping the structure into a design.
\end{itemize}
For example:
\begin{itemize}
\item {\tt article.sty} and {\tt xarticle.sty} seem to map the same
structure (the ``\LaTeX\ 2.09 analysis of the structure of an {\tt
article}'') into different designs
\item the command \verb+\documentstyle{siam}+ seems to map ``{\sc siam}'s
analysis of the structure of an article'' into ``{\sc siam}'s design for
an article''. (If so, then the roles of \verb+\documentstyle[11pt]{siam}+
and \verb+\documentstyle[12pt]{siam}+ are unclear. Are they intended
as ``preprint styles'', for an author to use while a paper is
being drafted?)
\item the commands \verb+\documentstyle[onecolumn,10pt]{iso}+ and
\verb+\documentstyle[twocolumn,9pt]{iso}+ seem to map ``the structure
of an ISO standard'' into ``two designs for ISO standards''.
\end{itemize}
Changing from \verb+\documentstyle{article}+ to
\verb+\documentstyle{xarticle}+ will work (i.e., give a document with the
same structure but a different design), but changing from
\verb+\documentstyle{article}+ to \verb+\documentstyle{siam}+ or to
\verb+\documentstyle{iso}+ won't work.
The analysis that was done for version 2.09 is mostly implicit in {\tt sty}
files, rather than being available explicitly. Subsequent providers of
{\tt sty} files have generally followed the same practice (although some
provide supplementary documentation). Thus, a user who just wants his/her
current structure laid out in a different design may end up reading lots of
archived {\tt sty} file code to see whether an alternative {\tt sty} file
supports the structure they are currently using.
\subsection{Practical difficulties at 2.09}
Someone attempting to produce a book/thesis with \LaTeX\ 2.09
has to change various defaults:
\begin{itemize}
\item they will want their preliminary pages numbered in roman, but will
want to switch back to arabic at the start of their main text.
They may need a \verb+\setcounter+ to start the roman sequence at the
right place.
\item they will probably want units such as ``acknowledgements'' and
``references'' to appear in their ``table of contents''. They will
be using \verb+\chapter*+ for such units (to get headings that
look appropriate), so will have to use \verb+\addcontentsline+
to get the units mentioned in the ``table of contents''.
\item page-selection can be a problem, since \verb+\count0+
doesn't distinguish between roman and arabic.
\end{itemize}
People producing ``an issue of a journal'', or a conference-proceedings,
may have additional problems:
\begin{itemize}
\item if they treat the work as {\tt book} \cite[p.\ 23]{lamport}, they
will be faced with trying to get authors' names, affiliations, etc.,
typeset consistently at the start of each chapter.
\item if they leave the work as a series of {\tt article}s, they will be faced
with ensuring that numbering (of pages, etc.) follows on.
\end{itemize}
I think that these problems arise because the analysis of ``document
structure'' for the \LaTeX\ 2.09 ``standard styles'' is inappropriate:
\begin{itemize}
\item the concepts of ``front matter'' and ``back matter'' are well
known in publications about book design, etc., but aren't supported
by the 2.09 ``standard styles''
\item an ``issue of a journal'', and a conference-proceedings, have structures
of their own (which are different from the structure of an ordinary book).
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Suggestion for 3.0}
I think that there would be advantages in:
\begin{enumerate}
\item
keeping a clear distinction between ``the structure supported'' and
``the design into which the structure is mapped'', so that the
end-user will known when they can/cannot change design by changing
just one line of their {\tt tex} file.
\item
associated with (1), thinking in terms of ``software that maps a
structure into a design'', rather than ``style file'' which confuses
``structure supported'' with ``design into which the structure is
mapped''
\item
analyzing in more depth the structure of the types of documents to be
supported. Then, for example, the end-user will be able to just say
``this is front matter'', and so have details such as roman/arabic
numbering, heading style, and ``table of contents'' entries taken care
of automatically in accordance with the relevant design (or
house-style).
\end{enumerate}
\section{Structures to be supported}
Various gurus \cite{chicago,aap,majour,white,bs-thesis,bs-report,tei} give
analyses of the structures of the document-classes for which people use
\LaTeX\ 2.09. Although, there may be differences between the analyses
offered by different gurus, I think that it would be better for the project
to consult the gurus, rather than to ignore them (since otherwise the
project will waste time re-doing the work already done by the gurus).
\subsection{First proposition}
It is easier to select the ``good bits'' from off-the-shelf analyses than
to start from nothing.
\subsection{Second proposition}
For overall structure, particularly ``good bits'' are to be found in the
{\it Chicago Manual of Style} \cite[pages 4,5]{chicago} and in the SGML DTDs
published by the Association of American Publishers \cite[appendix B]{aap}.
\subsection{Notes about AAP analysis}
\subsubsection{Three basic structures}
Broadly, the AAP analysis defines three basic structures:
\begin{description}
\item[BK-1] book/monograph/textbook, conference proceedings, technical report,
thesis/dissertation
\item[ART-1] article, feature
\item[SER-1] serial,\footnote{%
I think they mean ``an issue of a serial''. See section
\ref{not-a-serial}.}
conference-proceedings. (Articles are embedded within
a serial without any modifications.)
\end{description}
Thus, although the \LaTeX\ 2.09 and AAP analyses both define 3 main structures,
the boundaries are drawn differently:
\begin{itemize}
\item
the AAP regards reports and books as having the same basic BK-1
structure (unlike \LaTeX\ 2.09, which has two distinct ``standard
styles'', {\tt report} and {\tt book}, the main difference being that
{\tt book} isn't allowed to have an abstract)
\item
whereas the \LaTeX\ 2.09 manual suggests \cite[p.\ 23]{lamport} that
``it is easy to include an article as a chapter in a report or book'',
the AAP defines a special structure, SER-1, for multi-author works
made up of separate articles.
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Borderline cases}
Some types of document may lie on the borderline between two AAP
categories. For example, a long report might be divided into units called
chapters and be appropriately classified as BK-1, while a short report
might be divided into units called sections and be more akin to ART-1.
(Compare \cite{aap}, which envisages that technical reports will have BK-1
structure, with \cite{bs-report} which envisages that technical reports
will be divided into sections.)
At worst, cases that cross borderlines might need two mappings. In the
report example, they might be (1) a mapping of BK-1 structure to a report
design, and (2) a mapping of ART-1 structure to a report design. (This is no
worse than the situation with the \LaTeX\ 2.09 ``standard styles'', which
also envisage that {\tt report} is made up of chapters.) Thus, adoption of
AAP classification would not cause insuperable difficulties.
\subsubsection{Advantages of AAP analysis}
Paying serious attention to the AAP analysis would have various advantages:
\begin{itemize}
\item the analysis is well-known
\item it covers the types of documents that current \LaTeX-users generally
want to produce
\item it generally (but not always) gives analysis to the depth that
\LaTeX\ 3.0 might need
\item other gurus cite it (if only to disagree with it)
\item it embodies knowledge about publishing practice that the
average \LaTeX-er doesn't have
\item it is finite. The project would not be attempting to analyse
all possible documents, but would be concentrating on the structures
that are most commonly required.
\item support for AAP-like structures might attract ``real publishers''
to \LaTeX
\item {\it it exists now} (unlike, for example, the European
journal-publishers' work \cite{majour}, which is still in progress).
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Disadvantages of AAP analysis}
\label{not-a-serial}
The AAP analysis is not suitable in all respects as a model of what
\LaTeX\ 3.0 (and associated software) should do:
\begin{itemize}
\item The analysis may go deeper in some areas than is required for \LaTeX\ 3.0.
(If something with the ``look and feel'' of SGML is required, one might
as well use SGML.)
\item On the other hand, the analysis doesn't go deep enough in other areas.
For example, the AAP analysis is no better than the \LaTeX\ 2.09 analysis
for:
\begin{itemize}
\item citations and reference-lists \cite{iso-690};
\item captions, legends and credit-lines \cite[ch.\ 11]{chicago};
\item notes to tables \cite[ch.\ 12]{chicago}.
\end{itemize}
Other gurus' analyses would have to be used in such areas.
\item At a recent SGML meeting \cite{exeter8}, the AAP standard was
described as too Anglo-centric. Hence the European journal-publishers'
work \cite{majour} was criticised as too AAP-influenced.
\item ``Serial'' is usually used (e.g., by librarians) to describe a
publication that could potentially continue indefinitely (e.g., all
the issues of a journal, including those not yet published).
Therefore SER-1 may be a poor choice of name for a structure that
would represent ``a single issue of a series'' or a ``one-off
conference proceeedings''. MULTI-1 might have been a better name
for such multi-author (or multi-article) works.
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Attitude to AAP analysis}
An analysis based on that given by the AAP (minus a few details, plus a few
other details which could be taken from \cite{chicago} and other places)
might give a reasonable compromise between:
\begin{itemize}
\item ``re-inventing the wheel''
\item blindly obeying something (AAP structure) that hasn't been thought through
in all
respects.
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Example}
For example, if some compromise was made between the Chicago analysis and
the AAP analysis, one might envisage a user preparing a file of the form:
\begin{verbatim}
