Allow specifying an explicit previous version of a document (as in v1)

[npdoty]

In v1, editors could add a previousURI, previousPublishDate and previousMaturity to the configuration and then ReSpec would generate a link for a previous version of an Editor's Draft. We used this when we made a very substantial change from an earlier Editors' Draft snapshot and wanted readers to be able to look back at it.

As of v3, this isn't possible, because the ReSpec script just determines the previous /TR/ version and provides only that link.

If the configuration explicitly sets these fields (previousURI, previousPublishDate and previousMaturity) can we have a "Previous version" header?

[darobin]

Hi Nick,

I don't think that RS ever generated links to previous EDs using those three parameters. Those were always for the TR versions. Are you sure you're not thinking of prevED, which is used to point to previous EDs? Do you have an example of the syntax you used that doesn't work anymore?

[npdoty]

Hi Robin,

https://gist.github.com/c17a6b1615d52d7a6bcc

In v1 (by which I mean the version hosted at dev.w3.org/2009/dap/ReSpec.js/js/respec.js), if I specify those three parameters, I get a "Previous version" header with the previousURI as its value. The gist should be a minimal spec that shows that in action.

I hadn't tried prevED, but if that's a preferred syntax to handle this use case, I'd be happy to switch over to that.

[darobin]

Fascinating! I'm not sure that was ever a supported configuration parameter, I think it just makes use of the fact that everything specified in the configuration is copied over, and that that is a meaningful internal field :) I'm travelling this week, but I can look into that when I get back. That said, I think that prevED makes more sense since using previousURI would seem to override the previous version even when it's not an ED.

[darobin]

Having looked into this more closely, this is clearly a use case better suited for prevED.