RE: Regarding a question on the mailing list www-ql

Dear Murali,

This is a response to the following message, which you posted to the XML
Query Working Group's comments list:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-xml-query-comments/2001Mar/0032.
html

The XML Query Working Group has approved the following response:

Murali Mani wrote:
> ==========================
> In XQuery, is "list" always synonmyous with "ordered forest"? 

Yes, a "list" is synonymous with a "sequence" as well as "ordered
forest".  We are actively trying to align the terminology used in all
the XML Query documents.


> Are the nodes in an ordered forest considered siblings (having the
same
> parent) of the same tree?

No.  The nodes or scalar values in a list/sequence/ordered forest do not
necessarily have any sibling relationship.

> ==========================
> In order not to overload the term forest, I would like you to consider
the
> term "hedge". Hedge is a sequence of trees -- "a hedge is to a tree
what a
> string is to character".
> 
> Also regarding types, please consider using tree types and hedge types
--
> a tree type is a type whose value is a tree (it can be specified as a
> union of tree types), a hedge type is a type whose value is a hedge
> (specified as a model group over tree types and hedge types).

Thanks for the suggestion. We choose terms based on study of commonly
used computer-science terms and based on what we believe will be most
intuitive to users.

We appreciate your feedback on the XML Query specifications. Please let
us  know if this response is satisfactory. If not, please respond to
this message, explaining your concerns.

Paul Cotton
On behalf of the XML Query Working Group


Paul Cotton, Microsoft Canada 
17 Eleanor Drive, Nepean, Ontario K2E 6A3 
Tel: (613) 225-5445 Fax: (425) 936-7329 
<mailto:pcotton@microsoft.com> 

Received on Sunday, 25 March 2001 18:10:20 UTC