[Bug 20639] New: XPath provides insufficient "glue" (modularity)

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=20639

            Bug ID: 20639
           Summary: XPath provides insufficient "glue" (modularity)
    Classification: Unclassified
           Product: XPath / XQuery / XSLT
           Version: Candidate Recommendation
          Hardware: PC
                OS: Windows XP
            Status: NEW
          Severity: critical
          Priority: P2
         Component: XPath 3.0
          Assignee: jonathan.robie@gmail.com
          Reporter: costello@mitre.org
        QA Contact: public-qt-comments@w3.org

First, the new stuff in XSLT and XPath is fantastic. XSLT and XPath has become
a much more functional programming language.

However, there are some limitations, particularly with XPath, that are very
troubling.

Computer Scientist John Hughes, in his famous paper "Why Functional Programming
Matters" argues that "modularity is the key to successful programming." If we
accept that (I do) then we must say that XPath 3.0 has failed in terms of
modularity. There is none. With XPath 3.0 you can write entire programs (and
the neat thing is that the programs can be dropped into any language that hosts
XPath, such as XSLT and XQuery and Java and Python and Perl). However, the
program must be written as one monolithic beast. There is no ability to break
up the program into separate reusable parts that can then be glued together.
For example, one XPath program cannot reuse an XPath program in another file. I
recommend this be remedied before XPath 3.0 goes to Recommendation status.

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Received on Thursday, 10 January 2013 22:45:15 UTC