Re: RFE: Let automatic oneway conversion of named character entities *also* apply to documents without DTD
Hussein Shafie <[email protected]> Mon, 1 Aug 2022 16:12:14 +0200
| Newsgroups | gmane.editors.xxe.general |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
On 7/31/22 16:15, Leif H Silli wrote: > Title: > > RFE: Let automatic oneway conversion of named character entities > *also* apply to documents without DTD > > Alternative title of this letter: > > RFE: Please take advantage of XXE’s destructive treatment of > named character entities. > > Issue: > > XXE fails to work seamlessly with documents without a DTD that > define named character entities, when and if the document contains named > character references. > > Example: > > 1. When trying to open the following well-formed document, > <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”>…</html> > 2. XXE shows an error message stating that “hellip” is undeclared. This error message is correct. > 3. If you click the «OK» button, the file opens in XML source view, > but the HTML namespace is not “bestowed” unto the document, which > means that XXE does not allow you to work with the document in > semantic WYSIWYG mode. That's right. > > Consequences of current behavior: > > Your workflow is broken. > > Wokrarounds: > > 1. Alternative: You go through step 1 to 3 in the example, and apply > some conversion tool ion the source code and reopen the file. > > 2. Alternative: You fiddle with the other editor you use - if you > have acccess to it and if that editor allows you to prefer > directly typed text over named character entities. > > 3. Alternative: You attach a DTD to the files you work with. The > "HTML MathML entity set” would do the job: > https://www.w3.org/TR/xml-entity-names/#htmlmathml > > 4. XXE itself should have a (better) strategy for this! > > In particluar, for HTML documents, I do not get why XXE > treats undeclared named character entities (so) different > from declared named character references! > > What should happen instead? > > Proposal: > > XXE should open such documents “normally” – in the specified > namespace, probably/perhaps with a warning stating that named character > entities has been converted to directly typed characters. I'm sorry but unlike Web browsers which specialize in HTML, XXE, by design, does not attempt to guess anything. For example, it will not attempt to "automagically" map "…" to Unicode character U+2026 (Horizontal Ellipsis). > > Justifications: > > Even for documents *with* a DTD that define named character > entities, XXE simply – without a warning – converts those entities to > directly typed characters.[*] This "destructive" behavior with regard to > named character entities, seems to break what the XXE documentation > states in its XML source view documentation, see > <https://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/_distrib/doc/help/xml_source_menu_item.html>, quote: > > ]] The source view of a document shows the contents of the save > file which would be created by XXE for this document (same automatic > indentation, same named character entities, etc). [[ > > Because, with regard to what happens to named character references, > the above is not the case - such entities are simply silently converted > to their directly typed character equivalent. > > (Caveat: You, as user, can make XXE preserve named character > entities, but then you must add “hellip” (and other named character > entities that you want to keep) to the list of exceptions in XXE’s Save > preferences - only then will … be saved and be displayed in XML > Source view.) > > However, XXE’s ”destructive” behavior is fully in style/line with > XXE’s “destructive" treatment of source code. For example, XXE does not > care about your nicely indented code, but instead inserts and removes > non-semantic whitespace wherever it wants. We are well-aware of this limitation. Always have been. For example, see Norman Walsh (famous XML expert and very much appreciated by us) rants about XMLmind XML Editor: February 23, 2006 (!!!) https://norman.walsh.name/2006/02/23/whitespace --- Hey, you! Yeah, you! XML editing tool vendor! Lemme ask you something, why is it that you think you can fuck with the white space in my mixed content? White space in mixed content is significant. If I put it there, leave it alone! If I didn't put it there, keep your “helpful” fingers out of it! ... I'm talking to you, XMLmind. --- > > Finally, there is already an option in the Preferences to «Simulate > a DTD» when there is no DTD, and it would certainly be in place, and > make sense, and be in line with the HTML5 spec, to (at least with a > warning) simulate that named character entities has been declared. "Simulate a DTD" does not mean guessing. It simply uses the elements and attributes already found in a schema-less document instance to make it quicker and easier adding more elements and more attributes having the same names. > > The finaly justification is of course in order to promote > interoperability. There are just too many XML/XHTML/HTML editors and > authors out there that insert various characters as named character > entities. One of the most common issues, is of course the no-break space > character, which so often occurs in source code as " ”. That's right. > > From time to time, there are complaints about XXE’s “destructive” > treatment of source code. My claim is that, with regard to named > character references, XXE would fit better in its common work flows if > it would go all out in its “destructive” behavior. > Once again, you are right. However we currently don't plan to change XXE behavior in this regard in the near future. Note that, quite honestly, "XXE’s “destructive” treatment of source code" is flagged in red as being a possible "deal breaker". See http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/features.html Therefore if this limitation is really a problem for an XML author, she/he must not even attempt to use XXE. -- XMLmind XML Editor Support List [email protected] http://www.xmlmind.com/mailman/listinfo/xmleditor-support