[XML-SIG] Value of namespaces (was RE: [XML-SIG] IPC7 results)

[James Tauber]

-----Original Message-----
From: Wes Rishel <wes@rishel.com>
[...]

> Patient data
> Person data
> name
> religion
> date of birth
> id number
>
> Physician data
> Person data
> name
> id number
> pager number
>
>This has presented a problem because using XML we can have only a single
>content model for Person data. Name spaces would have presented a clear and
>elegant solution.
>
>Surely we are not alone in this matter?

Namespaces are not the solution for context sensitive content models.
Why not just have two separate element types?

<!ELEMENT patient-person-data (name,religion...)>
<!ELEMENT physician-person-data (name, idnum, pager...)>

What do namespaces give you that this doesn't?

If you want to associate the two types of person-data (so you can have an
application that does things will both) just have a FIXED attributes (a la
architectural forms):

<!ATTLIST patient-person-data
    data-class CDATA #FIXED "person-data">
<!ATTLIST physician-person-data
    data-class CDATA #FIXED "person-data">

James