W3C have announced the publication of two new working draft documents relating to XML linking and addressing. Both documents are part of the W3C XML activity, and are edited by Eve Maler (ArborText) and Steve DeRose (Inso). The working draft XML Linking Language (Xlink) "specifies constructs that may be inserted into XML resources to describe links between objects. It uses XML syntax to create structures that can describe the simple unidirectional hyperlinks of today's HTML as well as more sophisticated multi-ended and typed links", http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xlink-19980303, World Wide Web Consortium Working Draft 3-March-1998. The companion working draft document XML Pointer Language (XPointer) "specifies constructs that support addressing into the internal structures of XML documents. In particular, it provides for specific reference to elements, character strings, and other parts of XML documents, whether or not they bear an explicit ID attribute". http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-xptr-19980303, World Wide Web Consortium Working Draft 03-March-1998. A separate document explains the principles which have guided the Working Group's design of the linking and pointing mechanisms currently proposed in the two drafts.
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