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[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] Re: Create XML
 From: "Robert DiFalco" <rdifalco@t...> >However, it seems harder to write parsers that process elements in a >random ordering. So often, an arbitrary order is imposed (presumably) to >make parsing easier. When you use the word "parsers" people will think you mean XML parsers, but I think you mean applications. I have seen applications written in top-down style that process unordered elements by iterating over an n-element in-memory DOM structure n times! But that's just poor style. In bottom-up (event-driven) style, lack of order doesn't add complexity to the application but order may require additional error-checking (if the parser isn't validating). >Being relatively new to XML, I am curious as to what the current thought >is on this? Do most people impose an ordering or do they write their >parser code to handle any order the elements may appear in. > >Of course, this isn't a big deal if my program is producing and >consuming the XML. However, if I am consuming a document that a user >produced, why should I force them to put FirstName, LastName, and >Occupation into a particular order? A Person is still a Person if they >appear as LastName, Occupation, and FirstName. As HT pointed out, this is a religious (unresolvable) question. It is amusing that you use FirstName and LastName as examples in this context, as the order of names is ambiguous across cultures. ;-} I would worry more about fixing that kind of ordering assumption, and otherwise just do the simplest thing that works for you. There is a lot of "unnecessary" order in some XML documents, but it's often more trouble to "fix" than the result is worth. Bob 
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