xml-dev - Re: XML Schemas: Best Practices

[Caroline Clewlow <cclewlow@eris.dera.gov.uk>]

I think the idea is less a case of designing OO into markup and more a case of
gaining some knowledge and guidance
from the work already done on methodologies for OO design best practice.  If
those people have faced and solved some of the
issues we ourselves are facing it seems pointless to 're-invent the wheel'
unecessarily.

There may be nothing we can use - there may be some vital insights..... it is
at least worth a look.  After all we are not stipulating a
set of rules, we are trying to suggest 'best practice', which is more akin to
'guidelines'.  They do not have to be strictly adhered to in
every situation.

Hope the above is relevant to the discussion :)

Cheers

Caroline


"Bullard, Claude L (Len)" wrote:

> 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.