xml-dev - RE: XML Schemas: Best Practices

["Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@ingr.com>]

Be careful how far you chase 
that analogy.  It has come up in several 
efforts in markup in the past and has some 
benefits and some bad side effects.  Markup 
produces data objects and we have insist 
on precision in that definition.  The more 
we design object-orientation into markup, 
the more we tie it to a particular style 
of implementation programming.  This can 
be a good thing but it can also hobble 
other implementation techniques.  This 
was covered thorougly in the debates that 
lead to XML 1.0.  Data objects are about 
as far as one can push XML without compromising 
applicability.

For the OO programmer, a given style is useful. 
For the relational programmer, that may not 
be the case.

BTW, noting your signature, we have to cooperate 
with the universe because our head is in it.  If 
it chooses idiocy and we protest too loudly, 
we may find ourselves ruling in Hell.

Len Bullard
Intergraph Public Safety
clbullar@ingr.com
http://www.mp3.com/LenBullard

Ekam sat.h, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti.
Daamyata. Datta. Dayadhvam.h


-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Cleaver [mailto:j.cleaver@eris.dera.gov.uk]


There appears to be a convergence of thought that the design of an XML
schema is somewhat analogous to the creation of an Object Oriented Design
for a piece of code. There are instances where you want to maximise
component reuse and instances where you want data to be private. There are
also instances where you want to combine both of these.

What are the guidelines for creating private and public members of an OO
class? Is there a best practice for this - I assume there must be one as
part of an OO design course. Personally, I just decide which components are
needed to be viewed and which I would rather have left alone.

It seems to me that a fair chunk of this thinking will have already been
tackled by our OO design brethrin and there will be a published set of
guidelines. It is just a matter of finding them and their application to
this problem.