ORA-SE-298-E: Please clarify that all parameters are optional

SECTION 3: Serialization parameters

It says "standalone specifies whether the processor is to emit
a standlone document declaration and the value of the declaration;
the value must be yes or no."  The first sentence implies that
standalone is a parameter with three possible values:
don't emit a standalone declaration; do emit and its value is yes;
do emit and its value is no.  Having only two values for the
parameter is not adequate for its task.  

In section 4.5 "XML output method: the omit-xml-declaration
parameter", the last paragraph includes the phrase
"...if the standalone parameter is present...".  This indicates
that your model is that parameters are optional.  With that 
model you can indeed get by with two values for the parameter,
because the third state would be indicated by the absense of
the parameter.  If this is your intent, you should preface the
list of parameters by saying that they are optional.  Also,
most of the parameter descriptions include a sentence of the 
form "If this parameter is not specified..." but a few do not.
It would be good to supply this sentence for all parameters.

- Steve B.

Received on Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:22:17 UTC