Re: [xml-dev] Why embed a fake comment inside an element?

["G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@CraneSoftwrights.com>]

An XML processor is allowed to ignore incoming comments in its processing.

https://www.w3.org/TR/xml/#dt-comment
> an XML processor may, but need not, make it possible for an 
> application to retrieve the text of comments.
Wrapping it in CDATA will mean the processor won't recognize it as a 
comment because it is a string, the processor will preserve the 
CDATA, will emit the text, and the resulting text would be 
interpreted as a comment by a downstream processor.

No risk of losing the data on input.

That's my guess ... I've not seen this done before, myself. Interesting.

. . . . . Ken

At 2021-02-19 19:25 +0000, Roger L Costello wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> I am processing a bunch of XHTML documents. Some XHTML documents 
> contain things like this:
>
> <style>
>    <![CDATA[
>       <!--
>           @font-face
>         {font-family:"Cambria Math";
>         panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
>       -->
>   ]]>
> </style>
>
> So, the content of the <style> element is this:
>       <!--
>           @font-face
>         {font-family:"Cambria Math";
>         panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
>       -->
>
> That looks like a comment, but it's not a comment, it's just a string. Right?
>
> Question: Why would someone would do this? Is there a benefit to 
> embedding a fake comment inside an element?
>
> /Roger

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