Re: Use of XML for config files

[Georg Bauhaus <sb463ba@l1-hrz.uni-duisburg.de>]

Stephen Leake <stephen.a.leake.1@gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote:
: generic
:   type Private_Type is private;
:   with function To_String (Item : in Private_Type) return String;
: procedure Write_Private

I like this (a lot indeed).

: Although I gather you are saying you'd be happy if I _only_ had
: Write_String, without any generics.

No, no, it's nice to have some flexibility for coping with
different situations. If there is a notion of standard configuration
value types, it seems like a good thing to have corresponding standard
operations.
Write_Private will add a known way of writing in non-standard
situations. It's good to have it as part of the API because
maintainers will likely succeed in finding the responsible
To_String actual. No per-application names, no guesswork required,
a documented way at this end.

:> file, or to <x><y lang="de_CH">...</y></x> in an XML file.
: 
: Well, yes, we could define a special support for languages in XML. I
: don't see how it's worth it, in the Config_File context.

I was rather thinking about the difference between children
of a section and properties of a section, not about languages in
particular, this was just an example. But since properties can
be mapped to children (of different specific types actually
(in a DOM based implementation of the API)) there is no problem.

: I'd like to have one standard file format. You can always add a child
: package to implement a non-standard format. I wouldn't mind moving
: enough of the body into the private part of the spec to make that
: easier. 

Which parts? AFAICS now, this won't be necessary, at least
in the case of DOM.  For example, most of the tree related
functions are already available.

: Well, if you have a "validating XML editor" sitting around, that would
: make things easy. I didn't think such things existed.

Various. (Actually, (require 'psgml) mode for Emacs (and then turning on
xml-mode) is a good start, but of course this is an option for Emacs
users only.)
 
-- Georg