Re: Attributes v Elements

[Robin Cover <robin@isogen.com>]

This is a very FAQ...  see for starters:

http://xml.coverpages.org/topics.html#elementsAndAttrs
  Elements versus attributes - How do I decide?

http://xml.coverpages.org/elementsAndAttrs.html

  SGML/XML: Elements versus Attributes.  When 
  Should I Use Elements, and When Should I Use Attributes?

Robin Cover

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On Wed, 16 May 2001, Conder, Tom D (N-MAXIM Group) wrote:

> Is there a good reference on the Web offering advice about various design
> decisions I have to make while developing a DTD (or XMLSchema)?
> 
> For example, it is not immediately obvious when to use attributes and when
> to make an element a complex type.
> 
> Suppose we want to make an XML file whose structure supports currency. Which
> is better?
> 
> 1) a simple type with an attribute
> 
> 	<currency type="USDollar">
> 	   10
> 	</currency>
> 
> 2) a complex type with no attribute
> 
> 	<currency>
> 	   <type>USDollar</type>
> 	   <value>10</value>
> 	</currency>
> 
> 3) a simple type with two attributes
> 
> 	<currency type="USDollar" value="10"/>
> 
> Is there a simple rule of thumb to apply to the use of attributes?
> 
> Tom Conder - Contractor, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems
> 1035 Eastgate Drive
> O'Fallon IL 62269
> (618) 628-2051
> 
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