From: MikkelFJ <mikkelfj-anti-spam@...>
Date: 2002-10-01T08:58:34+09:00
Subject: Re: REXML namespace support

> > What about scoped access:
> > ns_of_fullname("N") yields prefix for outermost scope
> > ns_of_fullname("N.N") yields namespace string of nested scope.
> > ns_of_name("N") yields best matching, preferring least nested scope in
case
> > of a conflict.
>
> Maybe I'm dense, but I don't follow this at all. Are you saying these
> methods exist somewhere? I haven't seen them in the docs for Ruby or
> REXML, or in the XML Namespaces spec*. Or are you just asking what-if?

I'm saying what-if.

> Are you sure you're talking about XML Namespaces as defined by the W3C?
> If so, you're using terminology that I've never heard in that context.

I'm working with hierachical data in other contexts so I recognized the
problem but I'm not deep into XML DOM or REXML naming conventions. I believe
the term 'name' and 'fullname' is used fairly widely. ns just seemed more
convenient than namespace.

BTW: I've alwas found it difficult to accept that XML namespaces are flat -
one namespace cannot belong to another, although the URL's provide som sort
of hierarchy. Prefixes are scoped, but that is different.

> * And contrary to what I said earlier, I probably have read the whole
thing
>   --I just looked at it and was reminded that it's quite short. I've
>   become used to W3C specs being enormous and convoluted.

Yes - I've always wondered how they managed :-)

Mikkel