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

[Peter Flynn <peter@silmaril.ie>]

On 19/02/2021 20:18, G. Ken Holman wrote:
> 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.
I have seen it very frequently in CMS-generated pages. IMNSHE it is the 
result of an automated process embedding the CSS information, and 
deliberately double-shielding it because at some dim, distant stage in 
the past, a developer was told that XML processing "couldn't handle" 
less-thans and ampersands, and the best thing to do was to wrap the CSS 
in as many layers of protection as possible.

Peter

> 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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Peter Flynn
Cork 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇪🇺