XOM API for Processing XML with Java

[Wolfgang Hoschek <whoschek AT lbl.gov>]

RFE: Element.appendChild(String text) should return "this" for chaining.

Knowing that some people feel strongly against chaining I'm not 
promoting using chaining everywhere and inappropriately, but there is 
one place where it would be very practical, as it arises very 
frequently: Consider adding a couple of items with Text values to a 
list of items, as follows.

                        Element items = new Element("items");
                        Element item = new Element("item");
                        item.appendChild("car");
                        items.appendChild(item);
                        item = new Element("item");
                        item.appendChild("boat");
                        items.appendChild(item);
                        item = new Element("item");
                        item.appendChild("plane");
                        items.appendChild(item);
                        
Do you immediately see what the code is about? Probably not.
If Element.appendChild(String text) would return this one could write 
this more understandably and consisely as follows.

                        Element items = new Element("items");
                        items.appendChild(new 
Element("item").appendChild("car"));
                        items.appendChild(new 
Element("item").appendChild("boat"));
                        items.appendChild(new 
Element("item").appendChild("plane"));
                        
The case occurs sufficiently often to consider it, IMHO.
Plus the change would be backwards compatible since the method 
currently returns void.

Wolfgang.