Re: [ubl-dev] Namespace prefixes

["Stephen Green" <stephen_green@bristol-city.gov.uk>]

Hi Juha

I think this would break certain applications - some like Open/Star Office and certain
XSLT processors output XML with the namespaces on individual elements, others
don't. Then there is the problem about what to do when the UBL is embedded in
another XML instance or fragment. I think UBL should stick to the key guidance to
defer such matters to the wider use of XML as a whole and not try to create a
separate regime just for UBL. Sorry to be so negative. I do understand the concern
but it might be more that this concern is about using XML with XML-aware tools, or
rather trying to use it with XML ignorant tools. Though the former may seem to
put a premium overhead on development it probably is a mistake to try to ignore the
way XML works with infosets, schemas, etc and just try to only treat as plain text.
That might be fine in very limited situations where your concerns might then be more
valid, but generally the architecture of XML-aware processors and software based
on these things would be, in my opinion, worth seeking after and should tend to make
such concerns unfounded. In other words, with the right tools for the job those tools
themselves are able to cope with such aspects of XML, often invisibly to the developer. 

All the best

Stephen Green

>>> Juha Ikävalko <juha.ikavalko@tieke.fi> 29/12/06 12:13:27 >>>
Hello all,

 

I got a question regarding namespaces. In all XML examples namespace prefixes (e.g. xmlns:cac="...") are defined in a root element. 

However, is't ok if these definitions are given in each element:

 

<Order xmlns="...">

  <cbc:ID xmlns:cbc="..."></cbc:ID>

  <cbc:IssueDate xmlns:cbc="..."></cbc:IssueDate>

  <cac:BuyerCustomerParty xmlns:cac="..."></cac:BuyerCustomerParty>

 ...

</Order>

Of course, it's rational to to define namespaces only in a root element but some systems seems to output XML with namespaces defined in each element. At first, I thought that this is just a waste of bytes, but recently I got feedback that it might produce some extra work for message convertions if prefixes can be defined either in a root element or separately in each element.

I didn't find any recommendations or rules regarding this issue from NDR. Is it possible to add a recommendation that namespace prefixes should be defined only in a root element?

Regards,

Juha Ikävalko

TIEKE Tietoyhteiskunnan kehittämiskeskus ry 
TIEKE Finnish Information Society Development Centre 
Salomonkatu 17 A, 10th floor FI-00100 Helsinki 
Tel +358 9 4763 0410 Fax +358 9 4763 0399 
juha.ikavalko@tieke.fi http://www.tieke.fi <http://www.tieke.fi>