Re: [xml-dev] XML Schema design: buffet or set menu?

[Peter Flynn <peter@silmaril.ie>]

On 03/04/2021 14:03, Roger L Costello wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> As you know, a restaurant that offers a buffet style of dining lays out 
> all foods on tables and then customers select the items they want. With 
> a set menu style of dining the customer makes a choice and that 
> determines all the items the customer will receive.
>
> Should an XML Schema be written like a buffet: create a long list of 
> optional elements and then let the instance document author select 
> whichever ones he desires?
>
> Or should an XML Schema be written like a set menu: there is a choice 
> and once the instance document author selects a choice, that determines 
> all the elements for that choice?
This is known as the Prescriptive vs Descriptive choice and is covered 
in many books and other documents on document type design (I included a 
question on it in my research on editor usability, Q.3.4.3.11 on p.199 
at 
https://cora.ucc.ie/bitstream/handle/10468/1690/Human-Interfaces-to-Structured-Documents.pdf#page=228, 
and there is a section also in my book on SGML and XML Tools at 
http://xml.silmaril.ie/downloads/markup-uses.pdf).

Generally, it should be driven by the user requirements, if these are 
well-known, but it may also be driven by exogenous requirements like 
safety.

Peter

--
Peter Flynn
Cork 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇪🇺