From: Sean Russell <ser@...>
Date: 2002-05-16T11:40:57+09:00
Subject: RE: ANN: REXML 2.3.3

Rich Kilmer wrote:
> <a>
> <b><c>C</c>B</b>
> <b>B</b>
> </a>
> 
> Rule:  If all there is between tags is pure white space and sub-tags use
> CR otherwise, don't change the formatting.

Yeah, I think that's where I'm going.  Atually, your example formatting 
clarifies something.  You missed a "B" between <b> and <c>, so REXML would 
format /that/ this way:

  <a>
    <b>
      <c>C</c>B</b>
    <b>B</b>
  </a>

If you read this back in, you'd get:

  <a>\n  <b>\n    <c>C</c>B</b>\n  <b>B</b>\n</a>

However, if you passed the document constructor the 
:ignore_whitespace_nodes, you'd get your original:

  <a><b><c>C</c>B</b><b>B</b></a>

Notice that the /original/ source:

  <a>
  <b>B</b><c/>
  </a>

Can not be pretty printed and read back in in a way that preserves the 
formatting.  Pretty printing would introduce a newline between </b> and 
<c/>, and :ignore_whitespace_nodes would strip out the newlines after <a> 
and after <c/>.

Still, I think this is a good compromise.


--- SER