Don,
There is no plan right now to update the PFC to support another update language. I think that for now, it is ok to keep using XUpdate for this purpose. You can simply consider that the XUpdate syntax is part of the PFC syntax.
But it does make sense to start considering alternatives. XSLT would work, but it would often require longer code than XUpdate to achieve the same functionality.
-Erik
Don Smith wrote:
Erik,
Thanks for the clear explanation. Seems like I (now) recall seeing some complaints on XML-DEV about XQuery 1.0 not having an update component and Jonathan Robie explaining that it would be added later.
I had realized that XUpdate was only used in Presentation Server in the page flow from one form instance to another. Is there any plan to replace this usage of XUpdate? I suppose until XQuery adds an update component, there really isn't anything else to do.
Don
Don
Erik Bruchez wrote:
Don,
XUpdate is in effect a dead specification. There no perfect replacement for it, but:
1. For XML databases queries, yes, XQuery 1.0 is (more precisely will be soon when it is a W3C recommendation) the answer.
2. For XML databases updates, there is no standard as of yet. It is expected that the next version of XQuery will include support for updates. Today, some databases use their own XQuery extensions (Tamino), and some use XUpdate (eXist).
3. As a pure transformation language, XSLT 2.0 can do everything XUpdate does, albeit with the XSLT approach (i.e. functional), as opposed to the XUpdate approach (an imperative language).
The answer to your last question is no: XSLT 2.0 and XQuery do not make XUpdate relevant in the case of XML databases. A standard for updates is still missing.
The reasons for XUpdate's demise are not 100% clear. There are applications where XUpdate (or an upgrade of it closer from what's now available in XPath 2.0 and XSLT 2.0) is a better fit than XSLT.
BTW with Presentation Server, the only place where XUpdate is required is Page Flow, where it is used to describe how values from a source XForms instance (and possibly an action) are passed to another page's XForms instance.
-Erik
Don Smith wrote:
Is it the case that the XUpdate specification is still a working draft from the year 2000? Or has the work been picked up somewhere I haven't yet found?
If the specification has not moved passed the WD state in four years, it's hard to resist the conclusion that this is a dead specification. What happened?
Does the combination of XQuery and XSLT 2.0 make XUpdate irrelevant?
Don
------------------------------------------------------- The SF.Net email is sponsored by: Beat the post-holiday blues Get a FREE limited edition SourceForge.net t-shirt from ThinkGeek. It's fun and FREE -- well, almost....http://www.thinkgeek.com/sfshirt _______________________________________________ orbeon-user mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/orbeon-user
------------------------------------------------------- The SF.Net email is sponsored by: Beat the post-holiday blues Get a FREE limited edition SourceForge.net t-shirt from ThinkGeek. It's fun and FREE -- well, almost....http://www.thinkgeek.com/sfshirt _______________________________________________ orbeon-user mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/orbeon-user
------------------------------------------------------- The SF.Net email is sponsored by: Beat the post-holiday blues Get a FREE limited edition SourceForge.net t-shirt from ThinkGeek. It's fun and FREE -- well, almost....http://www.thinkgeek.com/sfshirt _______________________________________________ orbeon-user mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/orbeon-user
