On Jan 15, 2009, at 10:50 AM, Matt Jarvis wrote:
> Let me join the fray on this... I prefer SR's version since to me it
> is
> much more readable, which I always thought was (one of) the point of
> XML. Granted yours is much less verbose...
I wrote it in a more compact form, but you can format it to make is
just as readable if you wish.
I also don't understand why:
<sku>1234567</sku>
is more readable than:
sku="1234567"
> Do standard readers such as those built into browsers handle the
> "attribute-based XML"?
Yes, but the indentation chosen may not be the same.
The original design considered elements to be "things" and attributes
to be descriptors of those things. Sub-elements represent actual or
logical composition of the outer element. In this example, the sku is
not a separate thing, but an attribute of the item in question. In OO-
speak, elements are objects; if you wouldn't create an object in an OO
design, you shouldn't create an element in XML. Semantically,
attribute-based XML is much cleaner, and it maps more directly to
programming objects, but I recognize that, as usual, I'm in the
minority on this.
Check out the following two XML versions of the *exact same*
information. Obviously the first is more compact, but tell me why you
find the second more readable/ understandable/ natural.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<team sport="baseball">
<player position="pitcher" throws="left" hits="left">Joe Doe</player>
<player position="catcher" throws="right" hits="both">Sam Smith</
player>
<player position="first base" throws="left" hits="left">Tom Thumb</
player>
<player position="second base" throws="right" hits="right">Frank
Beans</player>
...
</team>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<team>
<baseball>
<pitcher>
<player>
<name>Joe Doe</name>
<throws>left</throws>
<hits>left</hits>
</player>
</pitcher>
<catcher>
<player>
<name>Sam Smith</name>
<throws>right</throws>
<hits>both</hits>
</player>
</catcher>
<first_base>
<player>
<name>Tom Thumb</name>
<throws>left</throws>
<hits>left</hits>
</player>
</first_base>
<second_base>
<player>
<name>Frank Beans</name>
<throws>right</throws>
<hits>right</hits>
</player>
</second_base>
...
</baseball>
</team>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-- Ed Leafe
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