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   Re: [xml-dev] modeling, validating and documenting an xml grammar

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[Rich Salz]
To: "Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@comcast.net>
> > Even in a case like that, somewhere you or software would have to decide
> > what to do in case there were more records than the form could hold.
That
> > cannot be done with the information in the schema anyway.  So why bother
> > putting the constraint into the schema in the first case?  It doesn't
really
> > solve the problem it is there to handle.
>
> I am in awe of the hubris of folks who can make such generalizations.
>

Wow, finally someone in awe of me ... Thanks, Rich :-)

But, you know, what I wrote was more along the lines of wandering along
memories of past experience than trying to lay down the law.  Also, in the
past year I have been involved with the development of some schemas where
minOccurs and maxOccurs were used.  So far I have not seen any real benefits
to their use - well, except for 0 and 1 values that is - for our case.
Where they were used, I do not think it will matter that much if they were
not available.

I used to think that being able to apply this degree of control is a good
thing.  I am not against it now.  I just think there are not many practical
cases where the lack of the ability would have much practical impact.  Of
course, the world is large and and there is a place for everything.  Now
business rules are another story, I am not talking about that.

> "Trust me, if you try to strictly define your data, then your software
> will suck."
>
> Wow.
>

No, it is more about accepting generously and sending rigorously.  Maybe
that is part of the difference in viewpoint.  I am thinking mostly about
being at the receiving end.

> Perhaps folks really mean "this is the final straw, making XSD so
> complex that as validation-implementors we cannot stand for it."
> But that is not what they've been saying.

I did not mean that at all (even though most days I think it is too
complicated).

Cheers,

Tom P






 

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