Repeating attribute specifications

[Richard Light]

In message <7923 at ursus.demon.co.uk>, Peter Murray-Rust
<Peter at ursus.demon.co.uk> writes
>
>I assumed that the multiple attributes was so that if (say) 
>
><!ATTLIST FOO BAR CDATA "BAZ">
>
>occurs in the external DTD and
>
><!ATTLIST FOO BAR CDATA "XYZZY">
>
>occurs in the internal subset
>then this is now legal whereas it wasn't before.  But what is now the default
>value of BAR? I assumed it was the later declaration ("XYZZY").  Please
>disabuse me if this is wrong.

Yes, you're right, but the reason why should be made clear.  (It is
_not_ because it's "the later declaration"!):

The attribute-list declaration for element type FOO:

<!ATTLIST FOO BAR CDATA "XYZZY">

is read _first_ because it is in the internal DTD subset, which is
processed before the external DTD subset.  So the attribute definition
for the element type BAR takes precedence over that given in the other
attribute-list declaration for FOO:

<!ATTLIST FOO BAR CDATA "BAZ">

because "the first declaration is binding and later declarations are
ignored".  Note that it is the _whole_ attribute definition:

BAR CDATA "XYZZY"

which is used, not just the default value as you suggest.  (The two
attribute declarations might have specified different attribute types.)

Sorry to have caused confusion in the first place!

Richard Light
SGML and Museum Information Consultancy
richard at light.demon.co.uk
3 Midfields Walk 
Burgess Hill
West Sussex RH15 8JA
U.K.
tel. (44) 1444 232067

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