Re: Extend values of type ID

Hi Anne,

/ Anne van Kesteren <fora@annevankesteren.nl> was heard to say:
| I'm not sure if this matters to xml:id, but I CC'ed public-xml-id just
| in case.
|
| I was wondering why values of type ID are so limited. They can only
| start with a letter, ':' or '_' which does not really make sense.
|
| Was this perhaps for compatibility with SGML?
|
| It would make much more sense, in my humble opinion, to make allow any
| character as value with a minimum length of 1 character. With the
| exclusion of some control characters I guess.
|
| Would that be possible?
|
| PS: If someone replies to the message and does not CC public-xml-id
| please do CC me.

The restiction that ID values be XML Names was, I believe, inherited
From SGML. While it might have been useful to relax that restriction,
XML did not. The xml:id Specification aims to provide XML ID values
and, as such, cannot extend the range of values allowed. (Irrespective
of the fact that this would be a major interoperability probem for XML
systems.)

For the purposes of resolving CR comments, please let us know if you
are unsatisified with this resolution.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

-- 
Norman.Walsh@Sun.COM / XML Standards Architect / Sun Microsystems, Inc.
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