Re: [xml-dev] Lesson Learned: Use namespaces for both markup anddata

[Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo@ibiblio.org>]

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 5:27 PM, Paul Spencer
<xml-dev-list@boynings.co.uk> wrote:
> I deal with many document types that have an envelope within which is both
> addressing information (and perhaps other things such as a digital
> signature) and a single payload element containing data. In other words, the
> payload data would be a well-formed XML document on its own with its own
> root element, but this is embedded in something else. In this case, it is
> common to declare a default namespace in the embedded element that is
> different from the namespace(s) of the envelope. SOAP-based web services
> also come to mind.

A default namespace that changes is not nearly as big a problem as a
prefix that changes. I am 95% certain that the pain caused by allowing
prefix declarations only on the root element would be far less than
the pain caused by allowing redeclarations of prefixes.

-- 
Elliotte Rusty Harold
elharo@ibiblio.org