[XML-SIG] Python 1.6 XML APIs

[Paul Prescod]

Uche Ogbuji wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
> I do feel a bit better about the API now that I've seent Paul's longer pulldom
> example, which does seem to conform to the Python/DOM mapping (I'll assume the
> "child_nodes" in the earlier example was a typo).  However, there are still
> the inevitable extansions (ParseString, AttributeList, etc.), which, while
> they seem innocuous to me so far, may be worth scrutinizing over time.

Let's be careful not to hold the XML library to a higher standard than
other Python libraries. If you have access to the CVS repositories, take
a look at the documentation of winreg. Or even the ancient "time()"
module with its 15-item tuples...or at the various deprecations
scattered throughout the documentation.

Anyhow, there are these different issues:

	1. is the implementation of minidom up to snuff

I can demonstrate that the implementation is up to snuff by integrating
it with our various existing test codes for DOM data: including 4thought
stuff (like 4XPath and 4XSLT). Now would be a good time to tell me if
that stuff relies on any 4DOM-specific features.

I'll roll back the AttributeList change to improve compatibility and
increase comfort. People wanting strings can use getAttribute( ... )

	2. are the new minidom parsing functions good.

There are only two parsing functions and they are explicitly designed to
be extensible. If with our combined experience we can't figure that out
in a few hours, something is wrong!

	3. is pulldom any good

Once again, we're talking about only two or three methods. There isn't
much to get wrong there!

	4. Jim's new _get... problem (thanks Jim!)

Any sane Python programmer is going to use the attribute versions. Any
Python DOM implementation can trivially support both the CORBA versions
and the attribute versions. I don't see a big problem here.

-- 
 Paul Prescod - Not encumbered by corporate consensus"
Ivory towers are no longer in order. We need ivory 
networks. Today, sitting quietly and thinking is the 
world's greatest generator of wealth and prosperity."
 - http://www.bespoke.org/viridian/print.asp?t=140