[XML-SIG] Repost - disabling entity expansion

[Uche Ogbuji]

> 
> I have an element v_function referencing external
> entities &vf1; &vf2; and &vf3;
> 
> <!ELEMENT v_function (#PCDATA)>
>                        <!ENTITY vf1 "Animal">
>                        <!ENTITY vf2 "Vegetable">
>                        <!ENTITY vf3 "Mineral">
> 
> Sometimes I'd like to expand these entities
> as normal, but other times I'd like to select
> <v_function>&vf1;</v_function>
> and get &vf1;  or vf3 returned or
> even <!ENTITY vf1 "Animal"> ???
> 
> 
> Is there a simple way to disable the entity expansion?
> I'm able to do this in libxml2-python but haven't found a way
> to do this in pyxml

I didn't respond to this because I don't know the answer.  I don't think there 
is a simple way to disable entity expansion from the internal subset, because 
I don't know of any XML parsers that offer this option.  Maybe Xerces does?  
After all, DOM does keep entity ref stuff around and I think Xerces is the 
strictest DOM implementation out there, which means the undrlying parser 
probably reports all lexical entities, rather than just those that need 
resolution.

I don't know that there is an easy solution for you, though.


-- 
Uche Ogbuji                                    Fourthought, Inc.
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