Can a file have multiple semantic tags (epub:type, reference type="…")?

[jcsalomon]

In a set of books I’m typesetting, there’s a glossary after the last chapter. So I set the metadata accordingly: In content.opf’s <guide> section there’s the line

<reference type="glossary" title="Glossary" href="Text/Glossary.xhtml"/>

and in Nav.xhtml’s Landmarks section there’s the line

<li><a epub:type="glossary" href="../Text/Glossary.xhtml">Glossary</a></li>

But of course, the glossary is also the beginning of the back-matter, so I applied that semantic in Sigil. This changed the content.opf entry to

<reference type="other.backmatter" title="" href="Text/Glossary.xhtml"/>

and the Nav.xhtml entry to

<li><a epub:type="backmatter" href="../Text/Glossary.xhtml">Back Matter</a></li>

erasing the fact that this is also a glossary.

Question: Can a file have multiple semantic tags (i.e., is Sigil doing the wrong thing?) and if so, what would this look like? Two entries in the Landmarks section?

<li><a epub:type="backmatter" href="../Text/Glossary.xhtml">Back Matter</a></li>
<li><a epub:type="glossary" href="../Text/Glossary.xhtml">Glossary</a></li>

One entry with two types?

<li><a epub:type="backmatter glossary" href="../Text/Glossary.xhtml">Glossary</a></li>

EpubCheck seems to be happy with either, so I guess I’m asking—for programs that care, which is better supported?

[JSWolf]

Test your ePub in ADE 2.0.1 as well as an ePub 3 program. That way, you'll know if it's backwards compatible or not.

[jcsalomon]

???

Asn an EPUB2 reader, ADE 2 should look only at the <guide> section of content.opf, and that I’m quite willing to leave with only one entry (probably the type="glossary" line rather than the type="other.backmatter" line). I’m mostly asking about the EPUB3 landmarks nav list—do any reading systems recognize "glossary" and/or "backmatter", and for those that do, which syntax is better supported?

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by jcsalomon

Question: Can a file have multiple semantic tags [...]

According to the IDPF, yes. They give the following example:

    <section epub:type="dedication backmatter">
       …
    <section>

Originally Posted by jcsalomon

Can a file have multiple semantic tags (i.e., is Sigil doing the wrong thing?

Ideally, Sigil should allow multiple epub:type attributes. You might want to report this issue to the Sigil developers.

[KevinH]

Sigil supports just a single epub:type one at the file level for creating the nav. Of course, Sigil allows multiple values via CodeView and editing the xhtml and nav directly.

The issue is also setting epub:type semantics on body and section tags, footnotes, and not just at the landmark file level.

I have been wrestling with this for a while and still am not sure the way to handle it best in Sigil. Perhaps a set of clips just for adding epub:type attributes to any user selected tag. Even at the file level with landmarks, Sigil keeps it to one, not multiple elements.

Ideas welcome on how to make all of the semantic setting easier for users outside of just the landmarks.

Of course, Access-Aide would have to be updated to handle multiple space delimited attribute values for epub:type and then to produce multiple attribute values for the aria role attribute as well.

I assume aria roles can have more than one attribute value as well.

[KevinH]

FWIW, I just added support in Access-Aide master for epub:type and aria role attributes that have multiple space delimited attribute values.

[JSWolf]

This thread is a Sigil issue and should be moved to the Sigil forum.

[KevinH]

No, my reply was about support in Sigil but the original question is about screen readers and ebook readers and if they grok or can even live with epub:type or aria:role attributes that have multiple values.

This a generic epub3 question.