Could we merge 'execution-context/var' with 'start/with-param'?

[Stephen Green <stephen.green@documentengineeringservices.com>]

Just to mention we may have an issue with the
'var' (variable) element in 'execution-context'. It
has the same element name as used elsewhere
but its structure is more like 'param', but with
content ('param' at present just has two attributes).
Maybe there is a potential need to allign/mature
the 'param' element, the 'var' inside scriplets and
functions and the var inside the execution-context.
Maybe all three need a 'type' attribute. We need
to specify possible values/semantics for the 'type'
attribute. The 'var' in scriplet and function allow
various kinds of content - mixed and almost any
foreign element (with another namespace/prefix)
and many of the existing etsm elements. The 'var'
in execution-context is very different in that it has
attributes for name and type but the content of the
element is a string (normilized). 'var' in scriplets
and functions has three attributes - 'expr', 'type'
and 'name' but the content of the element can be
mixed (include both strings and XML) and the
XML can include both eTSM and foreign elements.
Maybe the variable in 'execution-context' should
be given a different name since it is so different.

The 'param' element has both 'type' and 'name'
attributes. It doesn't need any content because its
content is passed in with 'with-param' elements.
The 'with-param' element has attributes 'name' and
'expr'. Maybe there could be a 'type' attribute too?
Maybe the 'execution-context' varaible is a bit like
'with-param' and if we added a 'type' attribute to
'with-param' we could replace 'var' with 'with-param'
in 'execution-context'. Effectively the functionality
of 'var' in 'execution-context' seems to be the same,
petty much, to me, as 'with-param' in 'start' though
the latter at present lacks the 'type' attribute. It also
has an 'expr' element which at present the 'var' in
execution-context lacks. Aligning these might mean
adding a 'type' attribute

 <xs:element name="with-param" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
 <xs:complexType>
 <xs:attribute name="expr" use="required" type="xs:normalizedString"/>
 <xs:attribute name="name" use="required" type="xs:normalizedString"/>
 <xs:attribute name="type" use="required" type="xs:normalizedString"/>
 </xs:complexType>

and adding the 'expr' functionality in 'execution-context'
when it passes variables to the start scriplet. However,
it occurs to me that maybe 'var' is more than a parameter
passed to the start scriplet: Does it create a kind of global
variable? Maybe in that case the structure could be the
same as 'with-param' but the name of the element could
be different - and maybe not 'var'.
 </xs:element>

Best regards
---
Stephen D Green