> > Section 5.1 of the recommendation says ...
> > That suggests a non-validating processor can ignore the external subset...

> The XML spec tries to enable compact XML processors by not requiring
> that all XML processors have the ability to read the external subset.
> In other words an XML processor can conform to the XML spec but be able
> to correctly process (ie get the right tree for) only standalone XML
> documents.

Okay.

> The XML spec is silent about what such a processor should do
> when confronted by a non-standalone document.

That's a problem (though perhaps it's purposefully silent because the
*designers* were unclear ...).

> However if an XML processor can process non-standalone documents, then
> it should do so correctly, and that means it has to read the external
> subset.

It makes sense a processor in non-validating mode *should* try to process the
external subset for non-standalone documents.  It's understanding the spec
that's the hard part, so thank you for clearing at least that point up...


/Jelks


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