consensus on the function of <activity> element ?

[Nikhil-Ramachandran]

I know we haven't resolved this question.
I am not sure why "type" attribute has to be mandatory for "activity". Also, how have we decided to use "activity" within "block"?

testentry.dtd has the following definition for "activity", can we make "type" as not mandatory?

!ELEMENT activity (#PCDATA|activity|material)*
!ATTLIST activity
type NMTOKEN #REQUIRED

[bnhiebert]

Seems to me that the "type" attribute serves a purpose in that it provides a way to designate activities as empty elements. Or is there good a way to include "activity" as an empty element while doing away with "type" attribute?

[Nikhil-Ramachandran]

@bnhiebert Ben, I am still not sure how we are working with "purpose" at the "entry" level and "activity" at the "block" level. How are you using these elements? Could you suggest a couple of your entries as examples where "purpose" and "activity" are both used within an "entry"?

[bnhiebert]

Actually I have been marking "activity" at the block level to comport with the schema, but I think you raise a good question: why are we, in fact, labeling "activity" at the block level but not "purpose"? I wonder if we might move activity up to the entry level since it's our main unit?

[Nikhil-Ramachandran]

@bnhiebert Ben, that makes sense to me, especially if activity is a refinement of purpose. Wondering if others have any thoughts around this issue.
Can we change activity to an attribute of "entry" rather than "block"?

[tcatapano]

I'll redefine the DTD for purpose and activity. Each will be:

• available as children of <entry> and <block>
• repeatable
• have a required type attribute
• may wrap text or be empty

[tcatapano]

Changed in DTD, some examples:

Empty, at beginning of <entry>:

<entry identifier="p009v_2">
    <folio number="009v" url="http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10500001g/f24.image"/>
      <activity type="accounting"/>
      <purpose type="observation"/>

Empty, at beginning of <block>:

<block>
        <activity type="accounting"/>
        <purpose type="observation"/> The order that merchants are accustomed to keep in their
        books, which are the waste book, the sales book, and the ledger, also called the account
        book.
    </block> 

Empty and wrapping text at beginning of <block>:

<block>
        <activity type="metalwork"/>
        <purpose type="observation">Because they often mix in with the ...