[XML-SIG] Re: Re: Generating XML from scratch

[Fredrik Lundh]

Dave Kuhlman wrote:

> Maybe the minidom API is somewhat of a mess, but then so are
> XML and the XML documents that minidom must be able to represent.

that's a popular myth.

other popular myths are that XML parsers have to be slow, because they
process Unicode; that XML DOM representations have to use tons of
memory, because they have to; and that tools that don't fully support all
kinds of XML processing are unusable for any kind of XML processing.

> I'd like to see some sort of comparison of minidom and ElementTree.
> Are there some real reasons why I should choose ElementTree over
> minidom for future work?

that's a "python vs. perl" or "static typing vs. dynamic typing" question.  I suggest
trying it, to see if it fits your brain, and the kind of XML programming you do.

> Is there a consensus that we should be using ElementTree instead
> of minidom?

if you ask toolmakers, they'll tell you that their own tool is the best one.  if you
ask users, you may get more consistent answers ;-)

</F>