Response below.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter B. West [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 9:55 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Getting breaks: revisited


Keiron Liddle wrote:

>> I could just do it, special cases can use special techniques provided it
>> doesn't effect normal cases too much.


>In my view, and here we differ, auto layout is not a special case.  It 
is the litmus test of the design.  I believe that the design can and 
should be such that the easy cases are special, simplified, cases of the 
general solution.<

I would have to agree.  If fighting complexity is the concern, the "special techniques 
for special cases" code must be kept to an absolute minimum.  Special case code pretty 
much generates complexity on its own.  Something like auto layout of tables should be 
treated as part of the general layout solution, if for no reason other than the fact 
that nearly everyone who makes a table in FO is going to want to use auto layout (or, 
in the case of newcomers, defaults to it).  If table auto layout seems to be falling 
under the heading of "special case" under the current design, it may be a clue that 
the design needs to be rethought.

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