Problems about the Spectrum Data Model from the view of a Web Service programmer

[Gerard]

There is still my question how the non-element content of mixed content
elements can be constrained to be an integer, or string, or whatever
primitive type.

http://www.ivoa.net/forum/dm/0609/1169.htm

I'd say it is an important piece of info to help us make up our mind.

 

Anyway, if you want a vote, I'd say that for the serialisation of data and
metadata in the IVOA:

No, we can not forbid empty elements with attributes.

Yes, we can (and should) forbid mixed content elements.

No, we can not insist on non-string data to be written as attributes (where
did that come from).

 

I'm sure consistency can not be obtained, but we can try, to quote someone
else

 

"The only completely consistent people are the dead." - A. Huxley

 

 

  _____  

From: owner-dm at eso.org [mailto:owner-dm at eso.org] On Behalf Of Rob Seaman
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 5:57 PM
To: dm at ivoa.net
Cc: Alasdair Allan; Dobos, Laszlo; Gerard; Guy Rixon; Matthew Graham
Subject: Re: Problems about the Spectrum Data Model from the view of a Web
Service programmer

 

Matthew says:





there is nothing wrong with mixed content.

In fact, it is used elsewhere in the IVOA already [...]

we should be consistent right across the IVOA

 

Oooh! A good time to trot out an Emerson quote:

 

              A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds

 

There is an implicit proposal on the hypothetical table. It goes something
like:

 

              While mixed XML content is strictly legal, it is likely to

              reveal limitations of tools and libraries adopted by IVOA.

              As such, no IVOA Recommendations will permit XML

              documents containing:

                              - non-empty elements with attributes

                              - elements enclosing both sub-elements and
literal values

 

Further, there appears to be a suggestion that numbers must be written as
attributes:

 

Why actually do we need that number right between the tags instead of in an
attribute?

 

so also forbid:

 

                      - non-string values, not written as attributes

 

If this is the proposal, I'll open the polling with a "no" vote.

Another word for "mixed" content is "flexible" content.

 

Rob Seaman

NOAO

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.ivoa.net/pipermail/dm/attachments/20060915/18a68c76/attachment-0001.html>