Tags vs PCDATA

[Steve Withall]

... and, if you use attributes, you can't get at them in XSL without resorting to a script. Having decided I wanted to use attributes to hold values retrieved from a database, I had to resort to writing a utility to convert attributes into child elements in order to make them accessible via XSL.

I guess this is a practical argument in favour of using elements for database values, but I'd also like to make a plea to the formulators of the XSL standard to provide a convenient way to access attributes.

Cheers, Steve.


At 19:22 6/7/98 -0400, Frank Boumphrey wrote:
>Hi,
>a full review of this question can be found at
>
>http://www.sil.org/sgml/elementsAndAttrs.html
>
>It appears that there is no correct answer, except if you use an attribute,
>then the data will not be visible to the reader when the tags are stripped
>off.
>
>Frank
>
>Frank Boumphrey
>XML and style sheet info at Http://www.hypermedic.com/style/index.htm
>Author: - Professional Style Sheets for HTML and XML http://www.wrox.com
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Per Roger Johannessen <gt9919a at prism.gatech.edu>
>To: xml-dev at ic.ac.uk <xml-dev at ic.ac.uk>
>Date: Monday, July 06, 1998 5:07 PM
>Subject: Tags vs PCDATA
>
>
>>Hi,
>>Which way is the best way to query a database, with tags or PCDATA? See
>>below for examples.
>>Is any of the two alternatives below considered "bad style"?
>>Does it really matter?
>>
>>PCDATA-type:
>><Message>
>> <Query>Name</Query>
>></Message>
>>
>>with the response:
>><Message>
>> <Answer>
>> <Name>Foo</Name>
>> </Answer>
>></Message>
>>
>>
>>Tag-type:
>><Message>
>> <Query>
>> <Name/>
>> </Query>
>></Message>
>>
>>with the same response as above.
>>
>>As I see it, the tag type has the advantage that it is the same tag
>>(eg. <Name>) in the query as in the answer. You can limit the queries to
>>the same tags allowed for the answers in a DTD. On the other hand it takes
>>a bit more effort to find what you query for.
>>
>>Best regards,
>> Per Johannessen
>>
>>Per Roger Johannessen
>>Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
>>Email: gt9919a at prism.gatech.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
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________________________________________________________________________
Steve Withall
Systems Architect                            Tel: 61 2 9957 1036
Access Systems Research Pty. Limited         Fax: 61 2 9959 5111
Level 10, 20 Berry Street
North Sydney NSW 2060                        Email: stevew at access.com.au
Australia                                    http://www.access.com.au

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