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

From
Peter Flynn <>
To
Date
2021-02-19T21:43:34Z
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<>
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Re: [xml-dev] Why embed a fake comment inside an element?
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 🇪🇺