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Re: XML Schema and BNF

• To: Essam Mansour <essam.mansour@g...>
• Subject: Re: XML Schema and BNF
• From: Vladimir Gapeyev <vgapeyev@s...>
• Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 14:03:37 -0500 (EST)
• Cc: xml-dev@l...
• In-reply-to: <ddff90470603060536g72c8ab79ic7b1573d20f95e15@m...>
• References: <ddff90470603060536g72c8ab79ic7b1573d20f95e15@m...>

On Mon, 6 Mar 2006, Essam Mansour wrote:

> I am designing an XML-based language. I am using the XML Schema to
> define the syntax of the language.
>
> I would like to know whether the XML Schema could be used as a
> substitution or an alternative to the BNF or not?
> Could you tell me references addressing that?

Is this a data format or a programming language? In the latter case, for 
any reasonably complex constructs, you would probably find it more natural 
to represent them using non-XML syntax. For example, even though XSLT is 
often said to have XML-based syntax, its significant part, XPath, has 
non-XML syntax and therefore requires additional (e.g., BNF-based) parsing 
technology in addition to generic XML parsers, Schema-validating or not.

Unless, of course, you are indeed willing to represent every single 
construct of your language by an XML element, in the style of XQueryX.
(XQueryX syntax is not intended to be written by humans.)

Vladimir

• References:
  • XML Schema and BNF
    • From: "Essam Mansour" <essam.mansour@g...>

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