RE: latest DOM spec 19980720

At 10:57 AM 7/21/98 -0400, Kirkpatrick, Alfie wrote:
>The latest spec has a 'delete' member function on the Data
>interface. This clashes with the C++ delete operator (and
>presumably the Java delete too). I don't know if this is
>strictly legal but MSVC++ definitely doesn't like it...
>
>Any chance we can change the name to 'remove', the semantics
>might actually be slightly better?

It *should* have been renamed deleteData(); this fell thru the cracks, but
will be fixed before the release to the W3C.  Thanks for the reminder. 

The WG's informal rule of thumb, which we may not have adhered to strictly,
is that the method name "remove" will be used when changing the
structural model, and the method name "delete" will be used when to get rid
of something (e.g. Data). The thing that is deleted is not returned. The
thing that is removed may be returned, when it makes sense to return it.

This should be in the spec somewhere ... also will be fixed before the
final release.

Mike Champion

Received on Tuesday, 21 July 1998 11:17:30 UTC