[osis-core] Eureka with respect to reference syntax!

Harry Plantinga osis-core@bibletechnologieswg.org
Thu, 29 Aug 2002 09:38:48 -0400


> I think the core problem we are having with references and 
> the related syntax are the following:
> 
> 1) In most cases within most Bibles and most (if not all) 
> references a single user EVERY encounters a SINGLE reference 
> system for Bibles will exist.
> 
> 2) It seems burdensome to force users to understand AND to 
> specify a reference system will almost certainly be constant 
> for ALL users they ever encounter.

This may be true for bibles, but we want our reference syntax
to work for a variety of documents. If osisRefs can point to 
non-biblical documents, the syntax we come up with may be
different.

But your point that biblical references to a standard system
should be as simple as possible is a good one.  If we call
the standard system "Bible" (since it should be a prefix of 
Bible.LXX, etc) then perhaps we can make "Bible:" a 
"default default" osisRef prefix. Then osisRef="Matt.1.1 Matt.1.2" 
works as you wished.  Of course, one would be able to 
redefine the default osisRef prefix.

Note that in that case the default prefix for an osisID without
a refSystem: prefix is the current work's osisWork. The default
prefix for an osisRef would be Bible: unless otherwise specified.

-Harry