Disable `cs:text` attributes for macros?

This thread on pandoc-discuss mentions that the spec is currently not clear about rules of precedence in cases such as this one:

<macro name="title">
  <text variable="title" text-case="lowercase"/>
</macro>
...
<bibliography>
  <text macro="title" text-case="title"/>
</bibliography>

What should happen in this case? I’d say the attribute on the lowest level should override the attribute on higher level.

Generally, I’m not sure allowing all cs:text attributes for macros makes a ton of sense. Affixes ok, but the rest? I’d assume that format attributes should be set on the lower level, i.e., inside cs:macro on cs:text, but not when a macro gets called. Format attributes on a macro call runs somewhat against the idea of macros, or am I missing something?

[denismaier]

FWIW, I think the right logic within CSL is to have the lowest level element determine formatting: that’s how rules for attributes on names work: setting them on names takes precedence over setting them on citation, which takes precedent over those set on style.

Yes, that was my initial impulse again. But while the specification is explicit about name attributes, the expected behaviour for other attributes is not specified.

One question I have about removing the option to style macros is how this affects formatting of affixes: <text macro="title" font-weight="bold" suffix="."/> would bold the period.

That’s a good point. I still think styling should be done in macro calls, but rather inside macros, but this is of course a valid concern.

What about this then: Let’s just make this explicit in the specification?

[denismaier]

A couple of examples:

<macro name="title">
  <text variable="title" font-style="italic"/>
</macro>
<bibliography>
  <text macro="title"/>
</bibliography>

=> title rendered using italics.

<macro name="title">
  <text variable="title" font-style="italic"/>
</macro>
<bibliography>
  <text macro="title" font-style="italic"/>
</bibliography>

=> italic.

<macro name="title">
  <text variable="title" font-style="italic"/>
</macro>
<bibliography>
  <text macro="title" font-style="normal"/>
</bibliography>

=> italic

<macro name="title">
  <text variable="title" font-style="normal"/>
</macro>
<bibliography>
  <text macro="title" font-style="italic"/>
</bibliography>

=> normal

<macro name="title">
  <text variable="title"/>
</macro>
<bibliography>
  <text macro="title" font-style="italic"/>
</bibliography>

=> italic

@bwiernik Is that what you’ve meant with:

So, font formatting on text macro overrides any lower, but only if specified?