Re: Namespace: what's the correct usage?

[Jeff Rafter <jeffrafter@earthlink.net>]

I find myself becoming more and more confused:

1) When there is an unqualified element as a child of an element with a
qualified namespace the child is said to have an "absent target namespace".
Is the intent of the _XML Schema_ spec that this child element should be
treated as a chameleon (thus treated as a member of the default namespace in
context) or treated as an element with no namespace regardless any default
namespace declaration?

<{foo namespace}foo>
  <{bar namespace}bar>
    <!-- According to XML Namespaces only: foo? -->
    <!-- According to XML Schemas only: foo or bar or absent? -->
    <{?}child/>
  </{bar namespace}bar>
</{foo namespace}foo>

2) Should mixed unqualified and qualified elements be allowed at all? If not
what can be done at this point?

I have put up a couple of samples up at

http://xml.defined.net/samples/schema/schema1.xsd
http://xml.defined.net/samples/schema/schema2.xsd
http://xml.defined.net/samples/schema/schema3.xsd
http://xml.defined.net/samples/schema/instance1.xml

instance1 + schema1 + schema2 is meant to show ambiguity.
instance1 + schema1 + schema3 is meant to show something potentially
erroneous.

I agree, the cost does seem to be very high.

Thanks,
Jeff Rafter
Defined Systems
http://www.defined.net
XML Development and Developer Web Hosting