deprecate `container`

[bwiernik]

I am not sure what the intended function of container is, but it seems clearly misclassified as a date variable. I don't see its value alongside the various container- variables. I suggest it be deprecated and eventually removed.

(Mentioned here: https://github.com/citation-style-language/csl-evolution/issues/9)

[denismaier]

Yes, should be done as suggested.

[denismaier]

In the current situation there's indeed not much use for a variable container alongside container-title. But, I was contemplating a bit about our the current flat datamodel and how this could be made more flexible.

For example:

- id: doeTitleEssay
  author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
  container-author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
  container-title: Collected Essays
  title: Title of the essay
  translator:
    - family: Doe
      given: Jane
  type: chapter

Is translator on the same level as title, or with container-title? In other words, has the translator translated the essay or the whole book? Impossible to tell here.

But let's change the data model:

- id: doeTitleEssay
  author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
  container:
    title: Collected Essays
    author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
  title: Title of the essay
  translator:
    - family: Doe
      given: Jane
  type: chapter

It's absolutely clear now that the we have the essay has been authored by John Doe, translated by Jane Doe, and that the container also has a author.

Or, if the whole book has been translated by Jane Doe:

- id: doeTitleEssay
  author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
  container:
    title: Collected Essays
    author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
    translator:
    - family: Doe
      given: Jane
  title: Title of the essay
  type: chapter

In such a model, there would be no need for duplicate variables like container-author/author, container-translator/translator. Also, this could be adapted to cover other needs as well, like adding original publishing information, information about a reviewed book, etc. Think:

- id: doeTitleEssay
  author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
  title: A review essay
  container:
    title: Collected Essays
    author:
    - family: Doe
      given: John
    translator:
    - family: Doe
      given: Jane
  original:
    publisher:
    publisher-place:
  reviewed:
    title: The reviewed essay
    author:
    - family: Bar,
      given: Foo
  type: chapter

[bwiernik]

Thinking about the variables that could be hierarchical nodes:

1. container
2. collection
3. original
4. reviewed
5. volume
   1. e.g., volume editors versus editors-in-chief for a multivolume reference book
6. event
7. issue
   1. e.g., special issue title and editor
8. short
   1. containing short forms of any variable, could be nested under any node

[larsgw]

I counted them once based off the 1.0.1 variables, 20 of those could be reduced to 8 (though I may have missed some nuance). Just copying:

• Publication-type nodes: collection, container, original, reviewed
• Non-publication-type nodes: event, archive(?), publisher

And if we get volume-title, volume and issue would be good too.

Archive could be something like below if we're really keen on reusing variables, though I guess it's a completely different kind of locator.

archive:
  title: Some Archive
  place: Somewhere St, City
  locator: Box 1234

Is the CSL data schema considered part of the specification? If not, processors could just opt into processing linked data.

[larsgw]

Also, there's no use for container-date then? I thought that was what this variable was meant to mean.

[bwiernik]

Also, there's no use for container-date then? I thought that was what this variable was meant to mean.

I’m not sure if that was the intention (I’m thinking not or it would have been called container-date?).

In any event, I’m not sure what the use of container-date would be. If you are thinking about something like an article republished in a book, so that container-date would be the book date and issued the original date, then we would expect to sue original-date instead (and issued for the book).

[retorquere]

How is "container" used in existing styles?

[bwiernik]

It's not. It's only used in a single style where it's in a list of all the date variables.