NAME

ab_name − AnswerBook document object naming specification

AVAILABILITY

AnswerBook naming functionality was changed beginning with version 3.2 of the AnswerBook viewing software, and is still used as part of OpenWindows Version 3.3 and the Solaris 2.3 operating system. 

DESCRIPTION

An AnswerBook consists of a group of related books, which in turn are composed of a hierarchy of document objects.  Each document object corresponds to a chapter, section, subsection, etc. of that book. 

The attributes of each object in a given book are defined in a record in the book database for that book.  Attributes include the document’s id (unique within a book), title, and PostScript pages(s). 

In order to uniquely identify a given document object, and therefore locate its database record, the following information is required:

object id

book id

book language (optional - defaults to

AnswerBook id

AnswerBook version (optional)

In many circumstances, some of this information can be gleaned from the current context.  For instance, a hypertext link to an object in the current AnswerBook doesn’t need to specify the AnswerBook id or version number.  In other circumstances, e.g., bookmarks, the information must be fully specified. 

To accommodate these different situations, there are two supported forms of object names: short and long. 

Short names take the form:

<book_id>doc_id

Note that book language, AnswerBook id and AnswerBook version are taken from the current context.  Short names are compatible with all version of AnswerBook software, including DocViewer 3.3. 

Long names take the form:

<bs=ab_id; vr=ab_version; bk=book_id; ln=book_language; dc=doc_id; of=page_offset>

[TBS - Description for each field]

[TBS - Semantics in different circumstances: hypertext link resolution algorithm, etc.]

[TBS - Book names, AnswerBook names]

[TBS - Name resolution algorithm]

SEE ALSO

docviewer(1) navigator(1) viewprint(1) ab_cardcatalog(4)

NOTES

AnswerBook is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., licensed to SunSoft, Inc. 
 
 

Sun Microsystems  —  Last change: 24 May 1993