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

RE: What is the correct terminology for an element andits name

• From: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>
• To: "xml-dev@lists.xml.org" <xml-dev@lists.xml.org>
• Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2011 10:05:33 -0400

Ghislain wrote:

> the element's name is a qualified name (QName) with a local 
> name "Publisher", a namespace "http://www.book.org" and an 
> empty prefix

Thank you Ghislain. That is very good.


I'd like to give a slight twist to my question.

Consider again this instance document element:

----------------------------------------------------------
<Publisher xmlns="http://www.book.org">______</Publisher>
----------------------------------------------------------

I often hear people say things like this: 

   The Publisher element is in the http://www.book.org namespace


I certainly understand what that is trying to say, but I suspect that if one wishes to use correct/precise terminology then it is unacceptable.

So what is the correct/precise terminology when describing the relationship between Publisher and the http://www.book.org namespace?


The namespace specification says that namespace prefixes are "bound" to namespaces. Are local names also bound to namespaces? Upon reviewing the namespace specification, it wasn't clear. Is this a correct/precise statement:

    The element's local name, "Publisher", is bound to the http://www.book.org namespace


XML Schema uses different terminology. It talks about properties. I believe that from an XML Schema perspective this is a correct/precise statement:

    The element has a name property with the value "Publisher" and a namespace property with the value "http://www.book.org" 


SUMMARY

With respect to this instance document element:

----------------------------------------------------------
<Publisher xmlns="http://www.book.org">______</Publisher>
----------------------------------------------------------

both of these statements use correct/precise terminology:

(1) The element's local name, "Publisher", is bound to the http://www.book.org namespace

(2) The element has a name property with the value "Publisher" and a namespace property with the value "http://www.book.org"


and all of these statements use incorrect/imprecise terminology:

(a) The Publisher element belongs to the http://www.book.org namespace

(b) The Publisher element is in the http://www.book.org namespace

(c) The Publisher element is associated with the http://www.book.org namespace


Do you agree?


PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION

Is clarity of thought proportional to precision of terminology?


/Roger

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: What is the correct terminology for an element andits namespace?
    • From: David Carlisle <davidc@nag.co.uk>