xml-dev - Re: X-Schema syntax

[Paul Prescod <paul@prescod.net>]

Andy Dent wrote:
> 
> At 15:11 -0400 28/6/99, Paul Prescod wrote:
> >There are not many elements that appear in one and only one context.
> >Therefore it is necessarily the case that readers must put definitions in
> >context "in their heads." When you see the definition for LI in HTML OL,
> >you need to keep in your head the fact that that same element type can
> >occur in HTML UL.
> 
> This is in a document domain. XML has a wider application.

There is no difference between the domains. I can't remember the last time
that I heard someone say: "oh, well that applies in the document domain
but not the database domain" where I couldn't readily come up with a
database example that had the same problem -- or vice versa. The
document/data dichotmy is mostly imagined.

Database example:

I have a table mapping personIDs to names. I serialize customer records
and partner records. Both use the same personID->name table and thus want
to output the same personName element type in the serialization.

> I have 
> absolutely no argument with separate element definitions being 
> available, just believing that there is a significant scope of 
> applying XML where contextual definitions will be useful and quite 
> possibly more usable.

Then we agree.

-- 
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for only himself
 http://itrc.uwaterloo.ca/~papresco

Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are men 
who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without 
thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its many 
waters. - Fredrick Douglass
 http://www.informamerica.com/Articles/Quotes.htm

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