Fwd: XML 1.1 -- Please stab me with a dull knife and trample my dead body

According to the xml 1.1 spec:

4 Physical Structures ...
> [Definition: An *unparsed entity* is a resource whose contents may or may
> not be text <http://www.w3.org/TR/xml11/#dt-text>, and if text, may be
> other than XML. Each unparsed entity has an associated notation<http://www.w3.org/TR/xml11/#dt-notation>,
> identified by name. Beyond a requirement that an XML processor make the
> identifiers for the entity and notation available to the application, XML
> places no constraints on the contents of unparsed entities.]



AND

Entities may be either parsed or unparsed. [Definition: The contents
of a *parsed
> entity* are referred to as its replacement text<http://www.w3.org/TR/xml11/#dt-repltext>;
> this text <http://www.w3.org/TR/xml11/#dt-text> is considered an integral
> part of the document.]

[Definition: An *unparsed entity* is a resource whose contents may or may
> not be text <http://www.w3.org/TR/xml11/#dt-text>, and if text, may be
> other than XML. Each unparsed entity has an associated notation<http://www.w3.org/TR/xml11/#dt-notation>,
> identified by name. Beyond a requirement that an XML processor make the
> identifiers for the entity and notation available to the application, XML
> places no constraints on the contents of unparsed entities.]
> Parsed entities are invoked by name using entity references; unparsed
> entities by name, given in the value of *ENTITY* or *ENTITIES* attributes.



In the current JDOM version, Element method setText(string) and also
addContent(CDATA) refuses text that contains illegal characters. It is
treating the data provided as 'parsed' when it should by the spec be
treating it as free content.

I understand:

1) The xml 1.1 spec defines a parsed entity as its 'replacement text'.

2) Replacement text' would refer to the actual textual makeup of a
serialized Element, not the data an Element holds in a Text content element


Then, if the above is true, the current implementation is actually wrong to
verify data.

I propose that JDOM stop verifying data set as Element text and CDATA and
leave it to the xerces (or whatever) to make sure the document is proper
1.1.

Am I understanding everything correctly?

Thoughts?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Canadian Wilf <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 9:52 PM
Subject: XML 1.1 -- Please stab me with a dull knife and trample my dead
body
To: [email protected]


Hi All,

I just learned that in order to safely use JDOM2, I will need to sanitize
my Element .setText(string) so that the parsed data does not contain
verboten characters under the XML 1.1 spec.

I have an ascii processor and it needs to be able to use xml as a document
format. Unfortunately, not all ascii is allowed in an Element text.

Stab me with a dull knife and trample my dead body. But ..... please please
please don't make me sanitize all my data before putting it into XML
Elements.

1) It makes my programming task much more cumbersome because I must ensure
not to feed any of the new verboten and doomed ascii/UTF-8 characters to
store as xml text.

2) No one uses xml 1.1, do they?

3) It slows down the parsing (a very small amount) with all the element
text checking.

Now that JDOM2 is xml 1.1 compatible, is there any turning back. Can this
be undone?

Does everyone understand that their software will bust if data provided as
text is not adhering to the new standard?

What about you? How do you deal with it when using the libraries?

Wilf

_______________________________________________
To control your jdom-interest membership:
http://www.jdom.org/mailman/options/jdom-interest/[email protected]