A question about datatypes

Hello All,

How, in XML Schema, do I set up a datatype which is a single string
representing a composition of more primitive strings, where the patterns
and values allowed for the primitive strings are defined elsewhere?

XMl Schema appears to offer a homogeneous composite type (ie all A or
all B) (the list constructor, with limits on maxOccurs and minOcccurs)
and a choice of either one A or one B (the union constructor), but not a
heterogeneous composite type (one A and one B).

My problem is I want to define a the content of a table where the table
cells are formed from out of well-defined compositions of primitive
elements separated by whitespace. In essence, I want to say something
like
	<xsd:complexType name="TableRow">
		<xsd:sequence>
			<xsd:element name="Column1" type="ClassA_string"/>
			<xsd:element name="Column2" type="ClassB_string"/>
			<xsd:element name="Column3" type="ClassAB_string"/>
			<xsd:element name="Column4" type="ClassABBB_string"/>
		</xsd:sequence>
	</xs:complexType>
	<xsd:simpleType name="ClassAB_string">
		<xsd:restriction base="xsd:string">
			<xsd:pattern value="{anything that matches ClassA_string}\s+{anything
that matches ClassB_string}/>
		</xsd:restriction>
	</xsd:simpleType>
	<xsdsimpleType name="ClassABBB_string">
		<xsd:restriction base="xsd:string">
			<xsd:pattern value="{anything that matches
ClassA_string}\s+({anything that matches ClassB_string}/s+)*/>
		</xsd:restriction>
	</xsd:simpleType>
 
Here ClassA_string and ClassB_string are simple types, probably derived
by pattern restriction, and defined by somebody else and liable to
change. The braces in the examples are meant as an escape into the world
of English, so that the first example means I want something that
matches ClassA, followed by whitespace, followed by something that
matches ClassB, while the second example is similar except the ClassB's
may be iterated.

Another example of the same problem is, to define a date_time type as a
composition of a date value and a time value seprarated by a space
character, and keep it consistent with all date values and time values
lying around the system.

Apologies if this is an old question, but I'm a newcomer to XML Schema.

David
-- 
=====================================
David Tombs
Software Verification Research Centre
University of Queensland
Brisbane	QLD 4072
  phone	+61 7 3365 1643
  fax	+61 7 3365 1533
  email tombs@svrc.uq.edu.au
=====================================

Received on Friday, 17 January 2003 06:16:49 UTC