Re: Multiple Inheritance in XML Schema

Hans Teijgeler <Hans.Teijgeler@inter.nl.net> (by way of "C. M. Sperberg-McQueen" <cmsmcq@acm.org>) writes:

> In that data model, written in EXPRESS, we see entity types that are
> the subtype of more than one other entity type, i.e. we have multiple
> (attribute) inheritance. We have represented the entire data model in
> XML Schema, with one exception: that multiple inheritance, because it
> appears to us that XML Schema cannot handle that.

As it stands, W3C XML Schema type derivation does not support multiple
inheritance.

<snip/>

> I seek a workaround for this problem, that not only allows me to
> inherit all 2+2 attributes, but also let 'child' be a true subtype of
> both 'parent_1' AND of           'parent_2'.

The only available workaround, to use named attribute groups, does not
give you the derivation ('subtype') relations you desire, sorry.

> The latter is important in cases where a key-keyref Identity
> Constraint in the XML Schema 'refer's to, for example, 'parent_2' and
> where in the derived XML file reference is made to an instance of
> 'child' (which should pass validation).

This isn't (yet) a good reason for needing multiple inheritance, since
the usage you describe won't work with key/keyref field or selector
paths, since they are interpreted per XPath 1.0 which does not know
about substitution groups or type-based matching.  With XPath 2.0, the
situation may change for the better in this regard.

ht
-- 
  Henry S. Thompson, HCRC Language Technology Group, University of Edinburgh
          W3C Fellow 1999--2002, part-time member of W3C Team
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Received on Monday, 16 December 2002 06:06:13 UTC