Re: [Docutils-develop] Section may not end with a transition?

[David G. <go...@py...>]

Jarno Elonen wrote:
 > Why is it that "(ERROR/3) Section may not end with a transition"?

 From the spec:

         Instead of subheads, extra space or a type ornament between
         paragraphs may be used to mark text divisions or to signal
         changes in subject or emphasis.

         (The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition, section 1.80)

     Transitions are commonly seen in novels and short fiction, as a
     gap spanning one or more lines, with or without a type ornament
     such as a row of asterisks.  Transitions separate other body
     elements.  A transition should not begin or end a section or
     document, nor should two transitions be immediately adjacent.

     -- http://docutils.sf.net/spec/reStructuredText.html#transitions

 > I think it's probably the most usual places where you might
 > want to use one:
 >
 >   Official statement about XYZ
 >   ============================
 >
 >   blah blah
 >   blah blah
 >
 >   Conclusions
 >   -----------
 >
 >   blah blah
 >
 >   --------------------------------------
 >
 >   Differing opinion
 >   =================
 >
 >   blah blah
 >   blah blah

That's not a "transition" (by my definition), that's a horizontal line
used as a design element.  I don't understand the semantic role of the
line.  What does it mean?

I'd suggest inserting an image of a line.

 > This example is a simplification of one software patent document
 > that I just edited. I know it can be worked around by adding an
 > empty comment after the separator line, but I don't understand why
 > it should be necessary:

Such usage would be abuse.  It's only an accident that a transition
renders as a horizontal rule in HTML.  In other output, it may render
as a large vertical gap or as three asterisks ("* * *").

-- 
David Goodger                               http://python.net/~goodger
For hire: http://python.net/~goodger/cv