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

XML versus Unicode ... here are the facts about their differences

  • From: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>
  • To: "xml-dev@lists.xml.org" <xml-dev@lists.xml.org>
  • Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:59:01 +0000

XML versus Unicode ... here are the facts about their differences
Hi Folks,

Below I have listed the differences between XML and Unicode as explicitly and completely as I can. Please let me know where I err.

Assume: This XML tag uses the precomposed ñ character:

	<Martiñez>

Assume: This XML tag uses 'n' plus the "combining tilde" character:

	<Martiñez>

Fact: The two tags are visually IDENTICAL. More precisely, the glyphs on display screens are IDENTICAL.

Fact: Below are two representations of the SAME CHARACTER:

	a. precomposed ñ character

	b. 'n' plus the "combining tilde" character 

Fact: According to the Unicode standard, the two representations ARE EQUIVALENT.

Fact: According to the XML standard, the two representations ARE NOT EQUIVALENT.

Fact: According to the Unicode standard, applications must treat the two representations exactly the SAME. Applications must compare the two representations as EQUAL.

Fact: According to the XML standard, applications must treat the two representations as DIFFERENT. XML applications must compare the two representations as NOT EQUAL.

Fact: In XML two Unicode-identical CHARACTERS may be considered to be DIFFERENT.

Fact: XML parsing is done on codepoints, not characters nor on the bytes that are used inside the computer to represent the codepoints.

Fact: XML parsing is done on codepoints, but XPath does NOT do its string matching operations based on codepoints. XPath uses a byte-for-byte comparison.

What "Facts" are not correct?

/Roger

[1] The precomposed ñ character and the 'n' plus the "combining tilde" character are equivalent: see the book, "Unicode Demystified" page 119.


[Date Prev] | [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Date Next] -- [Date Index] | [Thread Index]


PURCHASE STYLUS STUDIO ONLINE TODAY!

Purchasing Stylus Studio from our online shop is Easy, Secure and Value Priced!

Buy Stylus Studio Now

Download The World's Best XML IDE!

Accelerate XML development with our award-winning XML IDE - Download a free trial today!

Don't miss another message! Subscribe to this list today.
Email
First Name
Last Name
Company
Subscribe in XML format
RSS 2.0
Atom 0.3
 

Stylus Studio has published XML-DEV in RSS and ATOM formats, enabling users to easily subcribe to the list from their preferred news reader application.


Stylus Studio Sponsored Links are added links designed to provide related and additional information to the visitors of this website. they were not included by the author in the initial post. To view the content without the Sponsor Links please click here.

Site Map | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks
Free Stylus Studio XML Training:
W3C Member
Stylus Studio® and DataDirect XQuery ™are products from DataDirect Technologies, is a registered trademark of Progress Software Corporation, in the U.S. and other countries. © 2004-2013 All Rights Reserved.