ANN: generateDS.py 8a available

[Dave Kuhlman]

generateDS.py 1.8a has been released.

If you try it and have suggestions, comments, or bug reports,
please send them my way.


Where to find generateDS.py
===========================

You can find generateDS.py here:

    http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman/generateDS.html
    http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman/generateDS-1.8a.tar.gz


What is new
===========

Recent enhancements include the following:

- Mixed content -- generateDS.py now will generate code that
  handles mixed content when the element definition includes the
  attribute mixed="true".  The generated code is awkward, but at
  least you are not blocked completely when an XML Schema uses
  this feature.

- Element extensions -- generateDS.py now generates subclasses for
  extensions, that is when an element definition contains
  something like this:

      <xs:extension base="sometag">

  There is an important limitation, however: member names
  duplicated (overridden ?) in an extension generate erroneous
  code.  Sigh. I guess I needed something to do in 2005.

- Attribute groups -- generateDS.py now handles definition and use
  of attribute groups, that is the use of something like the
  following:

      <xs:attributeGroup name="favorites">
        <xs:attribute name="fruit" />
        <xs:attribute name="vegetable" />
      </xs:attributeGroup>
  

- Substitution groups -- generateDS.py now handles a *limited*
  range of substitution groups, in particular it handles
  substitution groups that involve complex types, but does not
  handle those that involve (substitute for) simple types (for
  example, xs:string, xs:integer, etc).  This is because the code
  generated for members defined as simple types does not provide
  the needed information to handle substitution groups.


What is generateDS.py?
======================

``generateDS.py`` generates Python data structures (for example,
class definitions) from an XML Schema document. These data
structures represent the elements in an XML document described by
the XML Schema. It also generates parsers that load an XML
document into those data structures. In addition, a separate file
containing subclasses (stubs) is optionally generated. The user
can add methods to the subclasses in order to process the contents
of an XML document.

The generated Python code contains:

- A class definition for each element defined in the XML Schema
  document.

- A main and driver function that can be used to test the
  generated code.

- A parser that will read an XML document which satisfies the XML
  Schema from which the parser was generated. The parser creates
  and populates a tree structure of instances of the generated
  Python classes.

- Methods in each class to export the instance back out to XML
  (method ``export``) and to export the instance to a literal
  representing the Python data structure (method
  ``exportLiteral``).

The generated classes contain the following:

- A constructor method (__init__), with member variable
  initializers.

- Methods with names 'getX' and 'setX' for each member variable
  'X' or, if the member variable is defined with
  maxOccurs="unbounded", methods with names 'getX', 'setX',
  'addX', and 'insertX'.

- A "build" method that can be used to populate an instance of the
  class from a node in a minidom tree.

- An "export" method that will write the instance (and any nested
  sub-instances) to a file object as XML text.

- An "exportLiteral" method that will write the instance (and any
  nested sub-instances) to a file object as Python literals (text).


Dave


-- 
Dave Kuhlman
http://www.rexx.com/~dkuhlman