XSchema: root element

Tue Jun 30 19:05:51 BST 1998

A while back, we got rid of the RootElement attribute from the XSchema element.  The reason was that an XSchema could just be a set of 
elements to be included elsewhere.  If you wanted to know what the root was, you 
could look at the top element in the XML file.

I now believe we should bring RootElement back as an optional attribute 
(NMTOKEN, #IMPLIED).  The primary reason is for authoring, although it would 
also be useful in DTD exploration.

For example, suppose I have a generic XML editor.  I pick an XSchema from a list 
of XSchemas and want to start writing.  But where do I start?  If the XSchema is 
just a set of elements, I can pick my own root.  But if the XSchema creator had 
a starting place in mind, like the <HTML> element in HTML, I need to start in 
the correct place or I won't create a valid file.  Therefore, the XSchema should 
provide this information.

When an XSchema element is used as a subelement, the RootElement attribute is 
ignored.  This is the case in which a stand-alone XSchema is included inside a 
larger, comprehensive XSchema.

-- Ron Bourret

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