[Bug 3378] Last Call comment: Please make xs:anyAtomicType abstract

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=3378





------- Comment #5 from mike@saxonica.com  2007-10-14 18:18 -------
To expand the explanation of the decision (unofficially):

If xs:anyAtomicType is concrete in XML Schema, then an XDM node can be
annotated as having type xs:anyAtomicType. XDM already assumes this situation
can arise, and states that when such a node is atomized, the result is an
xs:untypedAtomic value. XPath does not allow creation of a free-standing atomic
value of type xs:anyAtomicType, so when seen as an "item type" rather than as a
"schema type", the type is abstract. But making it abstract as a schema type
appears to be unnecessary. There seem to be some use cases for allowing it to
be used, for example in:

<xs:attribute name="x" type="xs:anyAtomicType"/>

Currently xs:anySimpleType is allowed in this situation; the difference between
the two cases is that if xs:anyAtomicType is used, then any restricted type can
only restrict it to an atomic type, not to a list type.

(Mind you, this use case also argues that xs:anyListType would be useful, which
contradicts the rationale for another decision...)

Received on Sunday, 14 October 2007 18:18:13 UTC