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

RE: Array content model

• From: Kevin Williams <Kevin.Williams@u...>
• To: xml-dev@l...
• Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 13:50:43 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John.OSullivan@c... [mailto:John.OSullivan@c...]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 5:06 AM
> To: xml-dev@l...
> Subject: Array content model
> 
> I favour the former arrangement, with the instances of item contained
> within an items element. I prefer it since it is easier to implement
> generic marshalling code on top of a DOM or SAX parser when
> the SAX parser will effectively give "start array" and "end 
> array" callbacks
> for the items open and close tags. And a DOM parser will 
> yield an items
> node that is a parent for the array elements, partitioning them from
> the other children of purchaseOrder.
> 
> However, my colleagues are unmoved by the ease of implementation
> argument, and prefer the gain in brevity from omiting the items tags.
> 
> I'd be very grateful for any comment and argument for or against
> either of these positions from xml-devers. Especially with regard
> to the implications of schemas.
> 

John,

IMO, either implementation is fine. When working with XML, there are myriad
ways of representing the same information, all of which are equally valid;
which one you use then becomes a matter of taste. Certainly, the <items>
element doesn't impart any additional meaning to the <item> elements
embedded in it; however, you give a compelling reason to use such an element
(the start and end events in SAX being used as signals to begin and end
construction of your item array). In the implementations I have designed,
for example, I have tended to use attributes for virtually all data points,
since my implementations often have to interface with RDBs - and the code to
handle RDB to XML translation (whether using DOM or SAX) seems more natural
when using attributes. As always, your mileage may vary. 

- Kevin

Kevin Williams
XML Data Architect
Ultraprise Corporation
kwilliams@u...

***************************************************************************
This is xml-dev, the mailing list for XML developers.
To unsubscribe, mailto:majordomo@x...&BODY=unsubscribe%20xml-dev
List archives are available at http://xml.org/archives/xml-dev/
***************************************************************************

• Follow-Ups:
  • MSXML on Win 2000 and transformNode
    • From: "Steven Livingstone" <s.livingstone@b...>

• Prev by Date: RE: Arbortext makes Java catalog classes available for use by XML processors
• Next by Date: Re: xml search engine?
• Previous by thread: Re: Array content model
• Next by thread: MSXML on Win 2000 and transformNode
• Index(es):
  • Date
  • Thread