Re: Another pseudo-element gotcha

I have been converting JUMBO internally to support some of my DTDs 
(primarily non-textual) and in particular I have been changing to TEI format.
I'd like to put in a strong plea to keep 'ALL' and '*CDATA' (not just because
I have been converting my code to use them ;-)

[I have routines like: 

// start at 'this' Node by default (i.e. force 'HERE' behaviour)
public NodeSet Node.TEISearch(Ladder ladder)
public Node Node.TEISearchFirstNode(Ladder ladder)

// start at root by default 
public NodeSet Tree.TEISearch(Ladder ladder)
public Node Tree.TEISearchFirstNode(Ladder ladder)
 
The two forms of each are essentially the difference between '1' and 'ALL'
and differ because they have different return values.]

In message <2.2.32.19970412030436.00eb3bbc@jclark.com> James Clark writes:
[...identification of gotcha deleted...]
> Here's a summary of my suggestions on xpointers from my previous message on
> the subject:
> 
> - Drop *CDATA

Please don't.
I have a variety of elements which can hold CDATA and a number which can't.
It's extremely useful to find those that can, and process them all in the
same way.  Without *CDATA (and without knowing the DTD) it will be very
difficult to find CDATA rapidly.

> - Drop * as an element name, or, failing that, say it does not take account
> of characters

Please don't drop '*'.  Again I have a lot of elements which share common
attributes.  An example is TYPE (=FLOAT, STRING, DATE, whatever).  I 
frequently write things like
	(ALL,*,TYPE,FLOAT)
to get all the floating-point numbers.


> - Drop ALL as an instance, or, failing that, allow it only as the last step
> in a xpointer

Please keep 'ALL' as it is.  My hierarchies are frequently heterogeneous
(deliberately), as in:
<LIST>
  <MOL>
    <DATA>
    </DATA>
    <ADMIN>
    </ADMIN>
    <DATA>
    </DATA>
  </MOL>
  <SPECTRUM>
    <ADMIN>
    </ADMIN>
    <ADMIN>
    </ADMIN>
    <DATA>
    </DATA>
  </SPECTRUM>
  <MOL>
    <ADMIN>
    </ADMIN>
    <DATA>
    </DATA>
    <ADMIN>
    </ADMIN>
  </MOL>
</LIST>

I may wish to search for all the admin details of MOLecules but not SPECTRa.
as in:
    DESCENDANT(ALL,MOL)(ALL,ADMIN)
  
> - Change the rule on attribute value matching to say it does case folding
> according to the declared value of the attribute, regardles of whether the
> attribute value is a literal

I don't think I have views on this...

> - Add a TREE keyword which is like DESCENDANT but includes the location source
> 

Please.  I have already found myself wishing to ask whether an element or
its descendants have given attributes.  Or, e.g., which MOLs are contained
within other MOLs.

	P.

-- 
Peter Murray-Rust, domestic net connection
Virtual School of Molecular Sciences
http://www.vsms.nottingham.ac.uk/

Received on Monday, 28 April 1997 06:21:44 UTC