Authors' initials should not be mangled

[hassanakbar4]

component_Version 2 cli resolution_fixed type_enhancement | by adam@nostrum.com

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The xml2rfc.tcl tool includes code that removes authors' second (and subsequent) initials when generating documents. In practice, there is a high probability that authors know their own names and preferences better than the tool does, and that inclusion of a second initial in their name in the input files is an indication that they expect it to appear in the output.

The offending code appears at line 6416 of the 1.35 release, and reads as follows:

if {[string compare $av(initials) ""]} { set av(initials) [lindex [split $av(initials) .] 0]. }

I have verified that removal of these lines solves the problems, and it appears to introduce no new issues. I have been using this modification since 1.24 (re-introducing it into my local copy with each new release) with no ill effects.

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Issue migrated from trac:10 at 2021-10-20 19:46:28 +0500

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de commented

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Interesting; could you please provide an example, with the current and the expected output. Just trying to make sure that there's no misunderstanding involved here...

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de commented

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Sent mail to rfc-i: http://www.rfc-editor.org/pipermail/rfc-interest/2010-June/001754.html

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de commented

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Alice Hagens points to http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc-style-guide/rfc-style, Appendix A.1:

 The author's name (initial of first given name followed by family
 name), right-justified on the first line of the heading.

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de commented

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I believe this needs to backed out, or made optional (PI?). As far as I can tell, the output will not be accepted by the RFC Editor (which means more manual finetuning will occur during AUTH48).

[hassanakbar4]

@tony@att.com commented

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add a PI <?rfc multiple-initials='yes'?> to allow this

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de changed type from defect to enhancement

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de changed owner from ` totony@att.com`

[hassanakbar4]

@julian.reschke@gmx.de commented

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Change backed out for now as of [111].

[hassanakbar4]

@arusso@amsl.com changed component from ` toVersion 2 cli`

[hassanakbar4]

@arusso@amsl.com commented

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Based on the following note from the RFC Series Editor, it seems this flexibility is desired behavior.

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Traditionally, the RFC Series requests that authors names be presented with "first name initial, last name". There have been enough exceptions over the years, however, to make this a rather fuzzy tradition.

What is most important to the Series is that authors names be consistent over time and using standard capitalization. If author feels 2 initials distinguishes them, then we should allow it. For the sake of the readership, however, an author can't switch between H. Flanagan, H. L. Flanagan, H.L. Flanagan, and so on.

So, what the RFC Editor would like to see out of xml2rfc is more flexibility to allow for author preferences. From our side, we will be documenting this more fully in the new version of the Style Guide, which will be made available for comment shortly after IETF 84. This will go on the web page component of the Style Guide.

Please let me know if there are any questions!

-Heather Flanagan, RSE

[hassanakbar4]

@henrik@levkowetz.com changed status from new to closed

[hassanakbar4]

@henrik@levkowetz.com changed resolution from ` tofixed`

[hassanakbar4]

@henrik@levkowetz.com commented

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Fixed in [785]:

Factored out the code which gets an author's initials from the xml author element, and made the get_initials() utility function return initials fixed up with trailing spaces, if missing. The current code does not mangle initials by removing any initials but the first one. Fixes issue #63, closes issue #10.