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xom-interest - Re: [XOM-interest] relevant to the discussion we were having the other day

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Subject: XOM API for Processing XML with Java

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  • From: Elliotte Harold <elharo AT metalab.unc.edu>
  • To: passani AT eunet.no
  • Cc: xom-interest AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [XOM-interest] relevant to the discussion we were having the other day
  • Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 09:06:52 -0400

What Bray is suggesting here is a sort of XML-aware regular expression language. He very well understands that current regular-expression languages are inadequate for handling XML.

One thing I have seen some people do is define a new, very inflexible syntax for XML infosets that resolves things like character entity references, insignificant white space, quotes around attribute values, and so forth; then write a program to convert XML documents into this new syntax; and then query the new syntax with regular expressions. It's a hack, but it works.

In essence Bray is here proposing to build the alternate, less-flexible syntax into the regular expression engine. Perhaps a good idea, but it does need a new engine/language. The existing ones can't do this.

--
Elliotte Rusty Harold
elharo AT metalab.unc.edu




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