How do XML NameSpace aware processors react to NS definations?

[Ronald Bourret]

Amit Rekhi wrote:
>            I am confused as to how XML NameSpace aware processors would process:- 
>
>            - Namespace definations (eg. xmlns:edi = "http://www.my.org/directory")
>            - Nameprefixes present in XML files (eg. <edi:Segment>)

The namespace URL does not signify anything at all.  It is not a directory, schema file, or anything else.  *All* it is is a unique identifier that identifies the namespace.  The prefix is a convenient shorthand for the full URL, nothing more.

When reading the namespace spec, it is important to understand that it tries to solve a single problem: ensuring that element and attribute names are unique.  This is significant when XML documents that use different DTDs are combined.  However, the namespace spec does no more than this.  In particular, it does not attempt to answer the problems of combining DTDs, combining instance files, or anything else.  Unique names.  That's it.  What your application does with those names is your business.

-- Ron Bourret

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