XOM API for Processing XML with Java

[Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo AT metalab.unc.edu>]

At 5:48 PM +0100 11/12/03, Krueger, Carsten wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I wonder how stable the XOM API is. Are there any predictable changes
> in the next versions ?

Good question. I just posted 1.0d22 which included almost all of the 
last the breaking API changes before 1.0. There are still two 
possible changes on my radar screen:

1. XInclude may be deleted from the API, at least from the supported 
part. Possibly I'll move it into the samples. The latest working 
draft has made me seriously question its stability, and I'm not sure 
I want to bake it into the core of XOM until there's a stable spec 
out there.

2. The NodeFactory class may be revised to return Nodes objects 
instead of specific types. This would allow it to perform more 
powerful filtering and modification of documents while streaming. For 
instance, attributes could be changed into elements, or one element 
could be changed into several. I'm not sure this is a good idea. I 
need to experiment with it first.

Thes two are the only changes I can foresee. Possibly somebody else 
may yet discover hidden flaws in the API that require changes, but 
I'm feeling increasingly comfortable with the basic API. The current 
release plan is:

1.0d23: Add support for new 2003 XInclude syntax
1.0d24: Revise NodeFactory to be more flexible
Alpha 1: API freeze
        Perform serious optimization and measurement
        Complete build system
Beta 1: Feature complete, all known bugs squashed
1.0: All documentation complete; code cleaned up to follow various guidelines

--

  Elliotte Rusty Harold
  elharo AT metalab.unc.edu
  Effective XML (Addison-Wesley, 2003)
  http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/effectivexml
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0321150406/ref%3Dnosim/cafeaulaitA