XOM API for Processing XML with Java

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

I'm still trying to get base URIs exactly right, and I think I've almost 
got it. I wanted to check on the exact interpretation of one line in the 
XML Base spec first, though. (Hi, John!)

Section 4.2 of the XML Base spec, as revised by errata, says, "2. the 
base URI of the element's parent element within the document entity or 
external entity, if one exists, otherwise"

Does this mean "within the *same* document entity or external entity"? 
If so am I correct in assuming that one should never use the base URI of 
an element from a different entity, *including ones set by xml:base 
attributes in a different entity*, to resolve base URIs?

Downside: when serializing without preserving base URIs (the default) 
everything gets shoved into one entity so the interpretaion of relative 
URIs in attribute values and the like may change as a result of 
serialization. But then that could happen anyway even without different 
base URIs because the serialized document will normally be in a 
different place than the original document. Still, I wonder if maybe 
preserving base URIs byinserting xml:base attributes on serialization 
should be the default?

--
Elliotte Rusty Harold