Some notes on configuration for table linearization

Needs to support:

   - orientation
   - repetition
   - interaction
   - recursion (proxy emulation)
   - table number

The issue with a "batch" tool, such as a proxy or a cgi that returns a
transformed table, by opposition to an interactive tool (i.e. done in
the browser), is that we cannot easily provide a dynamic interface
where the user can decide on the fly to expand/collapse the level of
details desired, or change the traversal direction to go up or left
within the table.

A good way we can do is to offer an setup interface allowing for a
"major" or default configuration option, and in the returned page,
offer inline pointers to "minor"/overriding variation at the level of
each table.

So the proxy/cgi setup would look like 
  http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/WG/tabletest/tablin


Examples of output, for the table:

<TABLE border=1 summary="une chose a preciser">
<CAPTION ALIGN=TOP>Temperature in some French towns</CAPTION>
<TR><TH colspan="3" rowspan="2"><TH colspan=4 scope="colgroup">Month
<TR><TH>January<TH>February<TH>March<TH>April
<TR><TH rowspan=4 scope="rowgroup">Ville
<TH rowspan=2 scope="rowgroup">South
<TH scope="row">Nice<TD>13<TD>14<TD>15<TD>16
<TR><TH scope="row">Cannes<TD>14<TD>15<TD>16<TD>17
<TR><TH rowspan=2 scope="row">North
<TH scope="rowgroup">Paris<TD>5<TD>6<TD>7<TD>8 
<TR><TH scope="row">Lille<TD>-3<TD>-2<TD>-1<TD>0
</TABLE>



Caption: Temperature in some French towns
Summary: Only covers 4 towns
Order: By Row (click here for a "By Column version", or "Markup order")
Interaction: Table level links (level 1, click here for level 0 or 2)
Repeat: All headers for each cell (this is level 4, click here for
         other level: "0", "1", "2", "3")

Ville, South, Nice, Month, January: 13,  
Ville, South, Nice, Month, February: 14,  
Ville, South, Nice, Month, March: 15,  
Ville, South, Nice, Month, April: 16
Ville, South, Cannes, Month, January: 14,  
Ville, South, Cannes, Month, February: 15,  
Ville, South, Cannes, Month, March: 16

or

Caption: Temperature in some French towns
Summary: Only covers 4 towns
Order: By Column
Interaction: None (no link to other version)
Repeat: Deepest header for each cell
 Other (not used) Column header names: Month
 Other (not used) Row header names: Ville, South/North

Data:
January, Nice: 13
January, Cannes: 14
January, Paris: 5
January, Lille: -3
February, Nice: 14
...

or

Caption: Temperature in some French towns
Summary: Only covers 4 towns
Order: By Row (click here for a "By Column version", or "Markup order")
Interaction: Table cell links
Repeat: Deepest header for each row (this is level 1, click here for
         other level: "2", "3", "4" or "5")
 Other (not used) Column header names: Month, January/February/March/April
 Other (not used) Row header names: Ville, South/North

[here we get each cell being a link to orientation info]
Nice: 13, 14, 15, 16
Cannes: 14, 15, 16, 17
...

or

Caption: Temperature in some French towns
Summary: Only covers 4 towns
Order: Markup order
Interaction: None
Repeat: Not applicable


Month
January February March April
Ville South Nice: 13, 14, 15, 16
Cannes: 14, 15, 16, 17
North Paris: 5, 6, 7, 8
Lille: -3, -2, -1, 0



=============

It is interesting to understand what goes in the HREF that's behind,
say,  click here for a "By Column version".

The issue is that this should return just this particular table, not
the entire document re-transformed, so we use a table ordering number
(e.g. "retransform the 3rd table in this URL").

For instance

<A HREF="http://cgi.w3.org/tablin?url=www.foo.com;orient=row;repeat=2;tableno=3">

would mean: return the 3rd table in the page at www.foo.com, using Row 
first orientation, Level 2 Repetition and level 1 Interaction
(default) and recurse (default)

where
 http://cgi.w3.org/tablin is the url of the linearizer
 url=www.foo.com is the page to linearize
 orient=row is the orientation choice (row, col, mark; default row)
 repeat=[0-4]    default 2
 interact=[0-2]  default 1
 recurs=[yes/no] default yes
 tableno=N       default all tables