[XML-SIG] WXS type library: guidance needed

[Uche Ogbuji]

> Hi,
> =

> I'd like to add, sooner or later, a support for the W3C XML Schema
> datatypes in my Relax NG xvif implementation [1] and was wondering if
> there is anything anywhere that I could borrow.
> =

> This first track I could follow is XSV, the W3C XML Schema
> implementation, but its status page [2] shows that the implementation o=
f
> a type library isn't done yet.
> =

> The second path is a thread from Frebruary on this list [3] but this
> doesn't go beyond suggestions for an API and the implementation [4]
> seems to be halted.
> =

> It this a subject on which someone is already working on and/or is ther=
e
> anything already existing?

This is something where I think an XML-SIG project would be excellent.  L=
ike =

em or not, data types are everywhere in XML processing these days, and wh=
y =

should we even allow false reasons for Java envy?  :-)

I think we should take on a project to develop a generic XML type library=
 =

implementation for Python.

I would envision it as a set of classes.  Each would have a regex or what=
ever =

that sets the lexical space, and also a set of methods and class attribut=
es =

that reify the value space.

This way, it would be really easy to plug into schema, query or Web servi=
ces =

projects, or even Python data binding.

If we all came up with an interface here, we could take volunteers for fi=
lling =

out the library.  For one thing, we should probably support W3C XML Schem=
a =

(WXS) types, as much as I dislike them, because of their ubiquity.  One p=
erson =

could tackle the numeric types, another the dates (poor sod  :-) ), anoth=
er =

text types, another XML structural types etc.  Yet more people could add =
in =

useful non-WXS types (geospatial comes to mind, as does a saner date type=
 =

implementation).

Any thoughts?


-- =

Uche Ogbuji                                    Fourthought, Inc.
http://uche.ogbuji.net    http://4Suite.org    http://fourthought.com
Apache 2.0 API - http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-ap=
ache/
Basic XML and RDF techniques for knowledge management, Part 7 - =

http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-think12.html
Keeping pace with James Clark - http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/xml=
/libra
ry/x-jclark.html