XOM API for Processing XML with Java

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

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 jcowan AT reutershealth.com wrote:

> Why return the empty string for unknown rather than null?  This seems to
> me to be a paradigm case for null, if not indeed an exception.

Because the URI specs are explicit that the empty string refers to the 
current document. This is the only sensible base URI for relative 
URLs in documents that have no explicit base URI. 

--
Elliotte Rusty Harold