(RQT) character/state/comment

[Noel Cross]

Hi all,

Getting back to requirements, one thing that came up at the TDWG meeting
was what I think of as the character/state/comment issue.

Often, DELTA uses "characters", "states", and "comments" in the following
manner:  (Using XDELTA here instead of DELTA-CLASSIC because to me it's a
bit more clear)

   <character number="8">
      <description>outer edge of front wing</description>
      <comment>shape</comment>
      <multi type="unordered">
         <state number="1">convex</state>
         <state number="2">straight</state>
         <state number="3">concave</state>
         <state number="4">irregular</state>
      </multi>
   </character>

It was pointed out that "shape" is more than just a comment, but a
critical piece of data, a "property", which modifies the character and
perhaps even restricts the states to various types. Mike seemed to
indicate that there would be a way to make this explicit in DELTA, though
I don't recall what the mechanism was.

Should this be explored as a possible requirement? How might this be issue
best be resolved?

-Noel