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RE: CDATA Section

• From: "Gordon, Simon" <Simon.Gordon@s...>
• To: xml-dev@i...
• Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 10:47:47 -0500

Thanks for the info. I guess I was trying to mix the ATTLIST and ELEMENT
syntax. The !ATTLIST  declaration allows CDATA but then doesn't seem to use
it in the same way as when you specify <!ELEMENT x (#PCDATA)> then use
<![CDATA[...]]> in the XML. Most confusing.

Now for the next question; binary data and CDATA sections. According to Tim
Bray's annotated XML spec., I can use a CDATA section to send binary data
yet I can't get it to work. [The annotation link is the last in the first
paragraph of section 2.7 CDATA Sections].

This (IMHO) seems to contradict the XML Spec. where it defines the CDATA
data to consist of chars which is further defined as consisting of TAB, CR,
LF and 0x20-..etc. That is, not all possible binary values. I've checked
this using the RXP parser (good, very good) and it does reject any values
outside the defined ranges. Big disappointment.

Now I'll have to look at using base64 to exchange binary data with our
vendors; we'll all have to implement an encoding/decoding scheme, probably
involving attributes and NOTATIONs and a load more work. Unless anyone has a
better idea?


Regards,

Simon Gordon

-----Original Message-----
From: John Cowan [mailto:cowan@l...]
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 13:23
To: Simon.Gordon@s...
Cc: xml-dev@i...
Subject: Re: CDATA Section


Gordon, Simon scripsit:

> > <?xml version='1.0'?>
> > <!DOCTYPE TEST [
> > <!ELEMENT TEST (CDATA)>

The problem is with this line, which says that TEST elements must contain
a single *element* whose name is "CDATA".  This has nothing to do with
CDATA sections.

> > Warning: CDATA section not allowed here
> >  in unnamed entity at line 5 char 16 of file:test.xml

Quite right; your document is invalid because your TEST element
contains character data instead of an element named CDATA.

> > PS. Just tried <!ELEMENT TEST {#PCDATA)> and removing the DOCTYPE
section
> > altogether. The former passes the validation test and the latter passes
> > the well-formedness test (rxp -xs test.xml)!

And rightly so.  You cannot *compel* the content of an element to be
a CDATA section or not by using DTD-based validation.  Elements declared
with #PCDATA content may express that content with or without
CDATA sections.

-- 
John Cowan                                   cowan@c...
       I am a member of a civilization. --David Brin

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