Can USX and USFM be improved to handle contexts?

[KentSpiel]

One of my biggest bugaboos is the need to flatten text before publishing. The only way to properly style a text in HTML or IDML is to create all of the styes that result from nesting. For example we commonly have Hebrew transliterated words in the Psalm superscriptions: \d xxx \tl yyy\tl*` In publication yyy needs to be regular text, not italic. The need to transition between hierarchical/nested and flattened expressions of the USX should not be overlooked since the final goal of the format is not archiving but publication.

• Perhaps there should be a limit on the amount of nesting allowed.
• Perhaps the USFM stylesheet should allow one to specify the formatting of certain nested styles if they differ from a straight CSS stylesheet application e.g. :
  • \tl in \d
    read Transliterated Word embedded in Hebrew Subtitle.

A second concern is that context matters in formatting. For example: we always add extra vertical space when going from prose to poetry and then back again.

• Perhaps the USFM stylesheet should allow one to specify the formatting of certain styles based on context e.g. :
  • \q1 following \p
  • \q1 following \m
  • \p following \q1
  • \p following \q2
  • \m following \q1
  • \m following \q2

This could convert to USX with a context specific attribute.

The desired result is improved formatting both in the PT editing environment and in print and electronic publications.

[mhosken]

This is out of scope for the standard. See how PTXprint handles this (at least hierarchically, rather than sequentially)