Re: [xml-dev] Schema refactoring tools

[Dennis Sosnoski <dms@sosnoski.com>]

I was looking at refactoring from the standpoint of the data represented 
rather than the XML documents, but it's true that changing an attribute 
to a child element is probably not the best example. Still a useful 
feature for a tool, though.

A better example would be to convert local to global types and elements, 
with automatic substitution of the new global type wherever appropriate. 
Better still if the tool allowed me to do things such as select the 
first three child elements from an existing complexType/sequence to be 
made into a new type definition, converting the existing type to an 
extension of the new type. So:

  <complexType name="old">
    <sequence>
      <element name="a" type="string"/>
      <element name="b" type="string"/>
      <element name="c" type="string"/>
      <element name="d" type="string"/>
    </sequence>
  </complexType>

to:

  <complexType name="new">
    <sequence>
      <element name="a" type="string"/>
      <element name="b" type="string"/>
      <element name="c" type="string"/>
    </sequence>
  </complexType>

  <complexType name="old">
    <complexContent>
      <extension base="tns:new">
        <sequence>
          <element name="d" type="string"/>
        </sequence>
      </extension>
    </complexContent>
  </complexType>

  - Dennis

Michael Kay wrote:
>> Does anyone know of tools with support for schema 
>> refactoring? By that I mean structural changes, not just 
>> renaming things. The tools I've tried can't even handle 
>> something as basic as changing an attribute to a child 
>> element in a complexType definition.
>>     
>
> Surely "refactoring" usually means finding a different way to say the same
> thing, that is, changing the way in which the schema is written without
> changing the language it describes? You seem to be looking for something
> rather different...
>
> But no, I'm not aware of tools in either area.
>
> Michael Kay
> http://www.saxonica.com/
>