[xml/sgml-pkgs] Bug#315780: update-xmlcatalog should support non-Debian-packaged

[Sergio Gelato]

* Daniel Leidert [2007-03-11 06:15:12 +0100]:
> Some long time ago you wrote,

Must have been shortly after the sarge release...

> > I'm trying to figure out how to integrate existing local catalogs, 
> > installed on a distributed file system (AFS in my case, but it could 
> > just as easily be NFS or SMB), with Debian's /etc/xml/catalog.
> > 
> > The easiest (but maybe not the most robust) way would be to use a 
> > <nextCatalog> element pointing to the catalog I'm already keeping on the 
> > network share. Unfortunately, update-xmlcatalog only allows --type 
> > (public|system|uri); I see no way to make it generate a <nextCatalog> 
> > element (least of all in the root catalog, where I'd prefer to put it).
> > 
> > My main reason for wanting <nextCatalog> support is that a number of XML 
> > bundles out there ship with their own catalog.xml files, and it seems 
> > easiest to just include them in this way.
> 
> Any problems with expanding the XML_CATALOG_FILES environment variable
> (filenames, separated by colons or spaces IIRC)? 

I wasn't aware of that feature. It may be worth highlighting more
prominently. 

Separating the filenames with colons does not seem to work in sarge.
See the discussion starting at
	http://mail.gnome.org/archives/xml/2002-October/msg00026.html
(the thread's subject is "Lists in XML_CATALOG_FILES") for details.
Separating them with spaces does work; thank you.

>                                                  You cna simply create
> you own catalog using the xmlcatalog utility and simply merge the Debian
> root catalog and your own catalog together by adding them both to the
> XML_CATALOG_FILES environment variable. Is this an solution to your
> problem?

It should be workable. Now, as usual with these things, the question is
how to make sure people find out about this before they decide to file a
bug report (which may go unanswered for a year or two...)

I've just looked at
	http://debian-xml-sgml.alioth.debian.org/
and noticed that the latest Debian XML policy draft, dated 2004-04-12
(has there really been no activity in the last three years?), does not
mention XML_CATALOG_FILES at all, and fails to consider the need I
expressed: to be able to add catalog files that aren't neatly packaged
in a .deb.

So: please improve the documentation.