I disagree with most blanket rules, but this one especially. Anyone who’s tried to reconstruct any more than the most simple data model out of an Apple .plist format - a classic “flat” XML format - will no doubt agree (or else will surely agree to being an XPath and XSLT junkie!).
This, I think, makes more sense:
The Markup Minimalist Credo: 1. Use the minimal amount of markup necessary to effectively communicate your data.
Where the key words are
- “effectively” - don’t make more work for anyone, sender or receiver, than you need to; and - “communicate” - why make it easy for the sender but ridiculously hard for the receiver? They’re both rather important parties in any communication.
Perhaps it can be better summed up this way:
The Markup Minimalist Credo: 1. Don’t blindly follow rules. Think about what you’re doing, and apply some of your experience and intelligence.
Cheers,
Damian
The Markup Minimalist Credo 1.
Flatter is better. Add structure (markup) to XML only when absolutely necessary. 2.
Data exchange formats: make them flat. 3.
When sending data to consumers, distribute the data in a flat format. 4.
When consumers receive the flat XML they may add structure (markup) to facilitate simpler and more efficient Schematron assertions and/or simpler and more efficient application processing. Different consumers will add different structure
(markup), depending on their (local) requirements. Comments? /Roger
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