xml-dev - Re: XML Java API Standardization

[Peter Newcomb <peter@techno.com>]

> Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 16:57:26 +0200
> From: Norbert Mikula <nmikula@edu.uni-klu.ac.at>
> 
> Alex Milowski wrote:
> > The dsssl.grove package is intended to provide standardized programatic access
> > to groves--the result of processing an SGML document.  IMHO, it would be ideal
> > if XML processors could produce a grove that a DSSSL processor could use.
> 
> I certainly agree, that a (complete) grove is probably
> the most powerful and complete way of accessing
> a documents data.
> 
> I am not convinced however, that it is always necessary
> to built a grove.

  [snip]

> You can always built a more powerful layer
> on top of an event stream. Furthermore we
> should also consider the work of the DOM
> group. Their results will have a considerable
> impact on our work as well.
> 
> If we can provide a flexible low level
> layer, we can always add more fancy and
> specialized post-processors on top
> of it.

I believe it it is important not only to design the low-level
interface such that a grove (or other-high level interface) can be
implemented on top of it, but also to design the low-level interface
such that _it_ (at least the relevant portions of it: i.e. the event
stream and associated classes) can be implemented on top of a grove
interface.

Another concern I have is that the terminology used for the two
interfaces (low and high) be consistent.  A programmer who learns one
interface should not have to learn a different vocabulary in order to
use the other.  This is also true across languages: a person using
an XML parser in Java should not have to learn a different vocabulary
in order to use an XML parser from C++ or Perl.

As the SGML property set has already been published (in DSSSL, and
soon in the HyTime 2nd Edition) and is in use, I suggest that it be
used as a terminology reference for new SGML and XML interface
design.

-peter

--
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