RE: [xml-dev] Nested Documents (was: XML 2.0)

["Johnson, Matthew C. (LNG-ALB)" <Matthew.C.Johnson@lexisnexis.com>]

Also, "multiple-root-elements" still wouldn't tell you when the stream
was done.  It would only be able to say that there were multiple roots.
So the parser still wouldn't be able to know if there was a <d></d>
element following <c></c>.  I like the idea of the processing
instruction.  Although it seems that it should be a standardized one
(e.g. <?xml:docclosed ...?>) that all parsers can look for.  But it
wouldn't be an error if it never found it...it would be there for those
who need the assurance of knowing the stream/document is done.


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Kay [mailto:mike@saxonica.com] 
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:36 AM
To: 'Andrew Welch'; 'Richard Salz'
Cc: 'COUTHURES Alain'; xml-dev@lists.xml.org
Subject: RE: [xml-dev] Nested Documents (was: XML 2.0)

> 
> How about adding something to the xml prolog that must be 
> present when the document contains multiple root elements:
> 
> <?xml version="1.0" multiple-root-elements="yes"?>
> 
> Make it like non-UTF-8 or UTF-16 encodings - if it's not 
> present the document must have a single root element, if you 
> do want multiple root elements then you must specify it in the prolog.
> 
> Seems straightforward enough...

Except you lose the nice simplification that document entities and
external
parsed entities become indistinguishable. The aim of this exercise is to
simplify things and remove restrictions, not to add new rules.

Also, serializers (e.g. XSLT serializers) would output the attribute
"just
in case", which rather destroys the point of it.

Anyone who really wants confirmation that the document has been properly
closed can always finish it with

<?closed really="yes" truly="yes"?>

and check for that when reading. Dim memories of undergraduate lectures
remind me that there might be better ways of designing an error
checking/correcting code, and indeed a better layer of the stack to
place it
in; but the above is at least as good as the current reliance on an end
tag.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/


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