Re: External parsed entities (Re: Inconsistency between IETF and W3C...)

Chris Lilley wrote:
> 
> 
> MURATA Makoto wrote:

> > In order to allow such an XML document, we have to use text/xml or application/xml
> > for external parsed entities.
> 
> No, that doesn't follow. You are driving a non-commutative relationship
> backwards. Just because a well formed XML document can be used as an
> external parsed entity (and can be labelled as text/xml or
> application/xml), it does not follow that a non-well-formed thing can
> also be so labelled. It should be labelled something else, like
> application/xml-epe or whatever.

True.  The fact that some XML documents are also external parsed entities 
only implies that we cannot always use application/xml-epe for external 
parsed entities.

We have two choices.  One is to use text/xml or application/xml even for 
external parsed entities.  The other is to use application/xml-epe 
only for those external parsed entities which are not XML documents.  I think 
that the latter is a complicated rule.  However, since few external parsed 
entities are also XML documents, one could argue that the latter is more 
realistic.

However, I have assumed that this issue is not very important since 
we should anyway avoid external parsed entities at all in the Internet.  
If external parsed entities are used, different parses emit different 
results.  (See "5. Conformance" of the XML recommendation 
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml#sec-conformance)

>For maximum reliability in interoperating between different XML processors, 
>applications which use non-validating processors should not rely on any 
>behaviors not required of such processors.

Makoto
 
Fuji Xerox Information Systems
 
Tel: +81-44-812-7230   Fax: +81-44-812-7231
E-mail: murata.makoto@fujixerox.co.jp

Received on Monday, 29 November 1999 20:32:00 UTC