SAX2 RFD: LexicalHandler draft v.1.1

[Ronald Bourret]

Bill la Forge wrote:

> From: Gavin Thomas Nicol <gtn at eps.inso.com>
> >CDATA sections *are* different from normal text, even if only
> >because the author used them.
>
> Again, is anyone aware of why CDATA is preserved by the DOM?
> What was the reasoning behind this decision? Other things, like
> whitespace within an element tag or even attribute order, are not 
preserved.
> Why then was CDATA?

I can't say why the DOM included CDATA, but I'll hazard a guess and agree 
with Gavin.  If I'm using a CDATA section, it means that I really, really, 
really don't want what's in the section to be parsed and it would be a 
royal pain for me if it was.  (Think about writing an HTML tutorial.)

The obvious place where preservation of CDATA is important, then, is when 
I'm co-authoring a document with a friend who uses a DOM-based editor while 
I prefer a text editor.  If every time my friend edits the document all the 
CDATA sections get wiped out, neither our friendship nor our co-authorship 
are going to last very long.

This is quite different from whitespace in element tags and attribute 
order, which are more aesthetic concerns than practical ones.  I might be a 
bit annoyed if my friends editor rearranges these, but I am unlikely to go 
looking for new partners because of it.

-- Ron Bourret


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