Entities in Mallard

[Jim Campbell <jwcampbell ubuntu com>]

Hi All,

For us Ubuntu folks, we use entities to store software version numbers
("This release includes Python {version number}"), release names
(e.g., Karmic Koala), & click-paths to various applications, but I'm
not sure how other distros' doc teams may or may not use entities.
I've found using them to be particularly helpful when sharing
documents across flavors of Ubuntu... even though Ubuntu and Xubuntu
may share an application as part of the default install, the
click-path location will be different between Ubuntu and Xubuntu.

Because Mallard uses a Relax NG schema, I started checking into Relax
NG schemas a bit, and see that they do not allow for the use of
entities in the same way that is available through a DTD.  I haven't
done a lot of checking yet, but there may be some workarounds . . . To
be honest, though, I really just don't know at this point.

I only bring this up because, since we use entities & a Relax NG
schema doesn't natively accommodate them, then we will need to find a
way around this.  That, or we'll just need to be prepared to have
scripts in place that can help automate some of the text conversion
that entities allow.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on this for now, please
share.  Is this something that could be worked around?  If so, what
could we do?

Jim