-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [xml-dev] ANN: a tool that makes it easier to extract
information out of XML Schemas
From: "Costello, Roger L." <costello@mitre.org>
Date: Sat, May 19, 2012 2:43 pm
To: "xml-dev@lists.xml.org" <xml-dev@lists.xml.org>
Hi Folks,
I created a tool that makes it easier for you to extract information
out of XML Schemas.
Here is the tool:
http://www.xfront.com/XML-Schema-Tool-for-Easy-Information-Extraction/index.html
Motivation for the tool:
Here are a few examples of queries that I've needed to perform
on schemas in the past:
- What are all the elements and attributes that are declared
to be of type xs:QName (or xs:string, or xs:gYear, etc.)?
- For simpleType A, what are its applicable facets? (Take
into account the facets in all its ancestor simpleTypes)
- How many element declarations are in the schema? How many
complexType definitions? simpleTypes? attributes?
- How many lines of schema code are there?
With my tool it is easy to get answers to those questions.
Without this tool, it can be difficult to get the info you desire
from XML Schemas. Here are a few reasons for the difficulty:
1. The schema may be scattered over multiple files. So you have
to search through multiple files to find the info you want.
2. A simpleType may be part of a long chain of restrictions. And the
simpleTypes may be scattered over multiple files. That
makes it difficult to know exactly what is the net value space
for the simpleType.
3. Likewise a complexType may be part of a long chain of derive-by-
extensions and derive-by-restrictions. And the complexTypes
may be scattered over multiple files. That makes it difficult
to know exactly what is the final set of elements and attributes
in a complexType.
4. An element may be substituted. So, many different elements may
be possible at a certain point in a schema.
5. Consider an element declaration with a type attribute. The type
definition could be located in many places: in the document that
the element declaration is located in, in a document that it
includes or imports, or one that they include or import. It
could be in the document that included the document that
contains the element declaration. And many more places. Ouch!
6. The elements and attributes in a no-namespace schema are
part of one namespace when they are included by a schema with
targetNamespace A and another namespace when they are included
by a schema with targetNamespace B.
/Roger
_______________________________________________________________________
XML-DEV is a publicly archived, unmoderated list hosted by OASIS
to support XML implementation and development. To minimize
spam in the archives, you must subscribe before posting.
[Un]Subscribe/change address: http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/
Or unsubscribe: xml-dev-unsubscribe@lists.xml.org
subscribe: xml-dev-subscribe@lists.xml.org
List archive: http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/
List Guidelines: http://www.oasis-open.org/maillists/guidelines.php