Re: [xml-dev] Deterministic Content Models (was DTD ( From EliotteRust Harold's Book))

[John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com>]

Quoth the XML Rec:


"For compatibility, it is an error if an element in the document can match
more than one occurrence of an element type in the content model. For more
information, see E Deterministic Content Models."

> Elliotte:> No conforming validating XML parser will reject [ambiguous

 > Elliotte:> content models].

> Rob Lugt:> This long-winded sentence appears to be referring to deterministic

> Rob Lugt:> content models.  In addition it indicates that the constraint should

 > Rob Lugt:> be treated as an *error*, not a warning.

You are both wrong, alas.

"It is an error" means that 1) no XML document should do this, and 2) an
XML processor may or may not detect or report it.  So the use of an
ambiguous (non-deterministic) content model may cause any of the
following behaviors:

1) it just works;
2) it just fails silently;
3) it just generates an error;
4) it just makes demons fly out of your nose.
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