SAX2: Should SAXException extend IOException?

[Clark C. Evans]

On Mon, 3 Jan 2000, David Brownell wrote:
> "Clark C. Evans" wrote:
> > I guess I'm trying to say that a data format
> > exception in one context could easily be seen
> > as an I/O exception in another context.
> 
> Actually, everything boils down to an EINVAL at
> some level ... everything else is just varying
> layers of sugar to explain what was INVAL !  ;-)

Yes.  And the detail of such sugar should depend
upon the task being performed.

A SAX parser is not a library of functions each performing
distinct granular and possibly recoverable operations.

Rather, a SAX parser is a processing component which takes 
an XML input source and generates an event stream as output.  
It's internal workings are encapsulated -- it does not expose 
highly granular control of its process.  Thus, possible
automated recover schemes are (understandably) rather limited.  
Therefore, it seems perfectly acceptable for the error to be 
generic.  Further, if you consider the SAX parser's primary 
task, that of converting an input source to an output stream, 
of the generic errors, IOException seems the best fit.

Clark




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