xml-dev - Use of Tags

[Andrew Layman <andrewl@microsoft.com>]

Regarding use of elements versus attributes, Andy Dent wrote "The path that
Microsoft seem to be following with XML-Data is to use elements ... My
single biggest problem with this is the reuse of elements within other
elements - you can't define an element with local 'scope'. What happens when
Amount is an i2 in one context and a float in another?"

At http://www.w3.org/TandS/QL/QL98/pp/microsoft-serializing.html you'll find
a description of a style of using XML in which attributes play a major role,
specifically to avoid the problem you mention with local scope.  

This particular style is designed for representing graphs of typed objects
in named relations using currently-available tools and technology. If
Microsoft's advocacy of this seems less than dogmatic, it is because other
contexts may reasonably call for other styles.

Best wishes,

Andrew Layman
Architect
Microsoft

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