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Re: [xsl] CDATA Handling


Subject: Re: [xsl] CDATA Handling
From: Evan Lenz <evan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:01:57 -0800

Hi Scott,

Your approach would be slightly easier to process and it fits nicely, hierarchically. I also think you're right it's probably neither here nor there. But I'd probably still go with the start/end markers for a few (rather weak) reasons:

1. The image itself isn't really an "instruction" for "processing," but data itself.
2. I'd have a vague fear of running afoul of software limitations (however erroneous) that restrict PI sizes due to the assumption that nobody would ever do such a thing (because they don't usually).
3. If the DTD gets unlocked later on and they switch to using elements, the string-value of <x> wouldn't change.


Conversely, if you're currently relying on <xsl:value-of select="x"/> and you later move the image data from inside a PI to element content, gobbledygook will appear all of a sudden.

They're all dubious reasons, I know. But I thought it polite to write a response. :-)

Evan


Scott Trenda wrote:
It's six of one and a half dozen of the other, really, but if you're switching to processing-instructions, why not use something like:

<x>See following image: <?image base64="R0lGODlhDQANAMQ0IAOw==" ?></x>

That way, the image data wrapper remains an easily-searched-for text pattern, as well as a single atomic unit in the XML infoset.

~ Scott

-----Original Message-----
From: Evan Lenz [mailto:evan@xxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 3:47 PM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [xsl] CDATA Handling


That's much better. Wish I'd thought of it.

"A bit nervous" and "not too bad" feels much better than "yuck, this is a horrible hack". So, short of changing the DTD...what Michael said. :-)

JSR, it would look something like this (using <xsl:processing-instruction/> to generate the PIs):

<x>See following image: <?start-image?>abcde<?end-image?></x>

Evan

Michael Kay wrote:
I'll probably regret this suggestion. No one has mentioned an alternative possibility (still bad architecturally, just not quite as bad as using CDATA delimiters): use non-XML "markup" (text) to delimit the images.

<x>See following image: TARTIMAGE##abcde##ENDIMAGE##</x>

Why use non-XML markup? Processing instructions do the same job better.

I always feel a bit nervous about using processing instructions when I want
to add some markup without changing the DTD. But it's a practical technique
that works (much better than CDATA sections). I don't feel too bad about it
if the PI really is being used as an "instruction" (to a stylesheet) to do
some "processing". And there are cases where (for better or for worse)
getting the DTD changed really isn't an option.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/


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