Hi Folks,
I would like to represent in XML the cost of something.
Here’s one way to represent it:
<Cost currency="USD">8.95</Cost>
If you didn’t want to use attributes (or mixed content), how would you represent it?
Would you represent it like this:
<Cost>
<Currency>USD</Currency>
<Value>8.95</Value>
</Cost>
I do not like that representation because it introduces a fake <Value> element.
Perhaps you would represent it by turning things inside out:
<Value>
<Currency>USD</Currency>
<Cost>8.95</Cost>
</Value>
I’m not sure I even know what that means.
Sigh.
Any economists out there? Please do tell: what is “cost”?
Cost seems to have (at least) two components: a number and an indication of what system of money the number is based on. The “system of money” is the currency. What about the number; what is it? What label do you give to the number? When you talk about the number, what words do you use?
/Roger