This specification implements the changes described in [Extending XLink 1.0]. These changes make XLink more useful in the places where it is already being used and make it practical in a variety of similar vocabularies. It differs from [XML Linking Language (XLink) Version 1.0] in the following ways:
The xlink:type
attribute is no longer required for simple links. In the absence of any xlink:type
attribute, an XLink is treated as a simple link.
Where [XML Linking Language (XLink) Version 1.0] referred to URIs, this specification refers to IRIs. This allows a broader range of values for for those properties that are identified with a resource identifier.
This specification includes non-normative sample XML Schema and RELAX NG grammars to complement the existing, non-normative sample DTD.
In addition, a few editorial changes have also been made.
Some bibliographic references have been updated to point to more recent specifications.
The conformance language has been rewritten to support a new, simple conformance level for applications that only expect to process simple links.
Several of the examples have been changed to highlight the presence of non-normative grammars other than the DTD.
The text describing the interpretation of the locator attribute (xlink:href
) has been moved into a separate specification ([Legacy extended IRIs]) so that it may more easily be reused. The locator attribute is now described with reference to that specification.