Table of contents

Appendices

4.3 Spaces and Conditionality

A space-specifier is a compound datatype whose components are minimum, optimum, maximum, conditionality, and precedence.

Minimum, optimum, and maximum are lengths and can be used to define a constraint on a distance, namely that the distance should preferably be the optimum, and in any case no less than the minimum nor more than the maximum. Any of these values may be negative, which can (for example) cause areas to overlap, but in any case the minimum should be less than or equal to the optimum value, and the optimum less than or equal to the maximum value.

Conditionality is an enumerated value which controls whether a space-specifier has effect at the beginning or end of a reference-area or a line-area. Possible values are retain and discard; a conditional space-specifier is one for which this value is discard.

Precedence has a value which is either an integer or the special token force. A forcing space-specifier is one for which this value is force.

Space-specifiers occurring in sequence may interact with each other. The constraint imposed by a sequence of space-specifiers is computed by calculating for each space-specifier its associated resolved space-specifier in accordance with their conditionality and precedence, as shown below in the space-resolution rules.

The constraint imposed on a distance by a sequence of resolved space-specifiers is additive; that is, the distance is constrained to be no less than the sum of the resolved minimum values and no larger than the sum of the resolved maximum values.

Space-resolution Rules[top]

The resolved space-specifier of a given space-specifier S is computed as follows. Consider the maximal inline-stacking constraint or block-stacking constraint S'' containing the space-specifier S as an element of the sequence (S'' is a sequence of space-specifiers; see [area-stackcon] ). Define S' to be a subsequence of S'' as follows:

• if S is the space-before or space-after of a line-area, then S' is the maximal subsequence of S'' containing S such that all the space-specifiers in S' are traits of line-areas,

• if S is the space-before or space-after of a block-area which is not a line-area, then S' is the maximal subsequence of S'' containing S such that all the space-specifiers in S' are traits of block-areas which are not line-areas,

• if S is the space-start or space-end of an inline-area, then S' is all of S''.

The resolved space-specifier of S is a non-conditional, forcing space-specifier computed in terms of the sequence S'.

1. If any of the space-specifiers in S' is conditional, and begins a reference-area or line-area, then it is suppressed, which means that its resolved space-specifier is zero. Further, any conditional space-specifiers which consecutively follow it in the sequence are also suppressed.

   If a conditional space-specifier ends a reference-area or line-area, then it is suppressed together with any other conditional space-specifiers which consecutively precede it in the sequence.

2. If any of the remaining space-specifiers in S' is forcing, all non-forcing space-specifiers are suppressed, and the value of each of the forcing space-specifiers is taken as its resolved value.

3. Alternatively if all of the remaining space-specifiers in S' are non-forcing, then the resolved space-specifier is defined in terms of those non-suppressed space-specifiers whose precedence is numerically highest, and among these those whose optimum value is the greatest. All other space-specifiers are suppressed. If there is only one of these then its value is taken as its resolved value.

   Otherwise, follow these rules when there are two or more space-specifiers all of the same highest precedence and the same (largest) optimum: The resolved space-specifier of the last space-specifier in the sequence is derived from these spaces by taking their common optimum value as its optimum. The greatest of their minimum values is its minimum. The least of their maximum values is its maximum. All other space-specifiers are suppressed.

4. If S is subject to overconstrainment relaxing, then its maximum value is set to the actual block-progression-dimension of the containing block-area. See [bpd-slack]

Example. Suppose the sequence of space values occurring at the beginning of a reference-area is: first, a space with value 10 points (that is minimum, optimum, and maximum all equal to 10 points) and conditionality discard; second, a space with value 4 points and conditionality retain; and third, a space with value 5 points and conditionality discard; all three spaces having precedence zero. Then the first (10 point) space is suppressed under rule 1, and the second (4 point) space is suppressed under rule 3. The resolved value of the third space is a non-conditional 5 points, even though it originally came from a conditional space.

The padding of a block-area does not interact with any space-specifier (except that by definition, the presence of padding at the before- or after-edge prevents areas on either side of it from having a stacking constraint.)

The border or padding at the before-edge or after-edge of a block-area B may be specified as conditional. If so, then it is set to zero if its associated edge is a leading edge in a reference-area, and the is-first trait of B is false, or if its associated edge is a trailing edge in a reference-area, and the is-last trait of B is false. In either of these cases, the border or padding is taken to be zero for purposes of the stacking constraint definitions.

The border or padding at the start-edge or end-edge of an inline-area I may be specified as conditional. If so, then it is set to zero if its associated edge is a leading edge in a line-area, and the is-first trait of I is false, or if its associated edge is a trailing edge in a line-area, and the is-last trait of I is false. In either of these cases, the border or padding is taken to be zero for purposes of the stacking constraint definitions.

Overconstrained space-specifiers[top]

When an area P is generated by a formatting object whose block-progression-dimension is "auto", then the constraints involving the before-edge and after-edge of the content-rectangle of P, together with the constraints between the various descendants of P, result in a constraint on the actual value of the block-progression-dimension. If the block-progression-dimension is instead specified as a length, then this might result in an overconstrained area tree, for example an incompletely-filled fo:block with a specified size. In that case some constraints between P and its descendants should be relaxed; those that are eligible for this treatment are said to be subject to overconstrainment relaxing, and treated as in the previous section.

• If the display-align value is "after" or "center" and P is the first normal area generated by the formatting object, then the space-before of the first normal child of P is subject to overconstrainment relaxing.

• If the display-align value is "before" or "center" and P is the last normal area generated by the formatting object, then the space-after of the last normal child of P is subject to overconstrainment relaxing.