[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message]

Re: What's the point of customizing element tags?

• To: <xml-dev@l...>,"Jeffrey Fitzgerald" <mailgroups@j...>
• Subject: Re: What's the point of customizing element tags?
• From: "Bill Kearney" <wkearney@i...>
• Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 09:47:14 -0400
• Organization: http://www.ideaspace.net/users/wkearney/foaf.xrdf
• References: <5.2.1.1.0.20030917093010.00afe130@j...>

To save you from yourself?

That is, not everything handles stuff on a purely hierarchical basis.  Some
stuff is done as an event handler set of functions.  Thus not using named
elements would make for needlessly complex state handling (above what's already
needed).  Don't limit your assessment of XML based solely on the tools you have
at hand.

That and when someone else has to handle the data it won't look like gibberish.
This includes you when you have to revist the data months or years hence.

There's a whole range of other factors to consider like using validation tools.

What you're suggesting would be little more than a throwback to using CSV or
tabbed columns of data but using angle bracket tags instead of "," or ASCII 9
characters.

-Bill Kearney

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeffrey Fitzgerald" <mailgroups@j...>


> Obviously a question from an XML newbie...
>
> But what is the point of custom naming xml elements when they are not
> accessed in an OOP manner?
> Here is what I mean:
>
> <newbie>
>     <question>
>                        <whatsUp>Whats the point</whatsUp>
>     </question>
> </newbie>
>
> My understanding is that you don't access the contents using syntax like:
> newbie.question.whatsUp.value, but rather an obscure
> childNodes[0].childNodes[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue (not even sure if that
> is right). But in any case, if you don't use the custom names
> then why not do:
>
> <blah>
>                <blah>
>                    <blah>...

• References:
  • What's the point of customizing element tags?
    • From: Jeffrey Fitzgerald <mailgroups@j...>

• Prev by Date: What's the point of customizing element tags?
• Next by Date: Re: What's the point of customizing element tags?
• Previous by thread: What's the point of customizing element tags?
• Next by thread: Re: What's the point of customizing element tags?
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread