[XML-SIG] Ugh! Why are DOM access methods spelled with a leading '_'?

[Mike Olson]

Jim Fulton wrote:
> 
> Traditionally, Python attributes (including methods) with
> names starting with '_' were treated as private.
> 
> Why oh why then does the Python DOM implementation use
> method names beginning with '_'s in the public API (for
> getting attributes), as in '_get_nodeType'? Why not
> 'get_nodeType' or 'getNodeType'? Is the intent that these
> functions shouldn't be called by Python code?

The methods really are not part of the DOM API. 

Example: the API defines the attribute nodeType.  the python mapping
(based off the python CORBA mapping) translates this into _get_nodeType
for accessors.

This interface is not published, but people do use it.  It is encouraged
that you directly
access the attributes.


> Is there are description somewhere of the Python DOM mapping,
> other than the DOM sources?

I'm not sure if anyone has put together a formal document.  We've based
most of it off the CORBA mapping at
http://www.python.org/sigs/do-sig/corbamap.html

Mike


> 
> Jim
> 
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-- 
Mike Olson				 Principal Consultant
mike.olson@fourthought.com               (303)583-9900 x 102
Fourthought, Inc.                         http://Fourthought.com 
Software-engineering, knowledge-management, XML, CORBA, Linux, Python