Re: Preserving base URI

Toman_Vojtech@emc.com writes:
[...]
> In Section 2.4.1 of the spec, there is a sentence that lists the Infoset
> properties that all processors must preserve, one of which is the 'base
> URI' property. However, in the very same sentence it also says that this
> holds for all steps "except where the semantics of a step explicitly
> require changes".
>
> In my view, p:delete is clearly a step that updates the source document.

I think that's intended to be viewed a littel more narrowly. Removing
an attribute doesn't change the children property, or the local name
property, nor would I expect it to change the base URI property.

> The problem I have is that I simply don't know what should happen to
> document nodes if you remove the xml:base attribute. Suppose I remove
> chap/@xml:base in the following example:
>
> <doc xml:base="http://foo.com">
>   <chap xml:base="http://bar.com">
>     <p>...</p>
>   </chap>
> </doc>
>
> If the 'base URI' property of the node is to be preserved, the base URIs
> of both the 'chap' and 'p' elements will remain "http://bar.com". Or,
> should the base URI of 'chap' and 'p' be recalculated so that it is
> "http://foo.com" after removing chap/@xml:base?

I think the base URI property should be preserved. The infoset spec
says that base URIs are calculated according to XML Base. Having been
calculated, I don't think deleting the xml:base URI implies that they
are re-calculated.

We have a use case in our requirements document that relies on this
behavior, FWIW.

> I just don't know. I can also see similar questions with steps that can
> modify or create @xml:base attributes: p:add-xml-base (maybe this one is
> OK), p:string-replace, p:add-attribute, p:set-attributes (now I am
> wondering: can you actually address/create xml:base with these steps??).

Well, somewhat inconsistently perhaps, it seems to me that changing
the xml:base attribute should change the base URI property.

                                        Be seeing you,
                                          norm

-- 
Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com> | Men are more like the times they live
http://nwalsh.com/            | in than they are like their
                              | fathers.--Ali Ibn-abi-talib