Re: [xml-dev] Should attributes be prefixed

[Tim Bray <tbray@textuality.com>]

At 01:17 PM 20/11/01 -0800, Doug Ransom wrote:
>i.e. global attribute <V units="Volts" xmlns="<mailto:Doug.Ransom@pwrm.com>mailto:Doug.Ransom@pwrm.com"/> 
>vs attribute in the namespace
>    <p:V p:units="Volts" xmlns:p="<mailto:Doug.Ransom@pwrm.com>mailto:Doug.Ransom@pwrm.com"/>
> 
>In both cases, the units value must exist within the V element for the element to be valid.

The first is prettier.  However, only in the second example is
the "units" attribute in the "mailto:..."; namespace in the sense
defined by the W3C Recommendation "Namespaces in XML".  

It depends what the software does.  If the software insists
that the attribute be in the namespace itself, you use the
second style.  If it is written to look for namespace-less
attributes attached to an element in the namespace, then the
first is fine.  When you're writing the spec for this language,
you should be clear which case you're prepared to handle.               

I'm pretty sure the term "global" is misleading in the sense
you use it.  -Tim