XML schema draft comments: 4.2.4.1 ambiguous: "one", "either"

Regarding the draft at
http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/PER-xmlschema-2-20040318/:

Section 4.2.4.1 says:

   When {variety} is ·atomic· and {value} of {base type definition}
   is countably infinite and either of the following conditions are true,
   then {value} is finite; else {value} is countably infinite:

    1. one of ·length·, ·maxLength·, ·totalDigits· is among {facets},
    2. all of the following are true:
      1. one of ·minInclusive· or ·minExclusive· is among {facets}
      2. one of ·maxInclusive· or ·maxExclusive· is among {facets}
      3. either of the following are true:
          1. ·fractionDigits· is among {facets}
          2. {base type definition} is one of date, gYearMonth, gYear, gMonthDay, gDay or gMonth or any type ·derived· from them


It does not seem to be clear whether "one" means "at least one" or
"exactly one."  This should be clarified.  (If it's the case that the
ambiguity never actually makes a difference because the cases are
mutually exclusive anyway, it should still be clarified a) so each
reader doesn't have to try to resolve figure out the ambiguity again
and b) so readers don't have to remember a redundant additional
mutual exclusion rule.)


Possibly my brain is frying from too much schema specification at
once, but it doesn't seem unambiguously clear (even with the boldface
type) whether those two occurrences of "either" mean "either and not
both" or mean "either or both."


Grammatically, "either A or B are ..." is incorrect and should be
"either A or B is ..." (assuming B isn't plural).  This should be
corrected (along with any other incorrect occurrences in the
document).


Grammatically, in:

   When <some condition>, then <some condition>; else <some
   condition>.

shouldn't the "; else" be "; otherwise" or ", or else"?



Daniel

Received on Thursday, 10 June 2004 15:47:34 UTC