Re: [xsl] need help explaining one data structure over another

[Jeff Kenton <jkenton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry to disappoint you, but I like option #1 better.  Its structure 
matches what you said you want more closely.  If you have other 
requirements that you haven't stated, maybe that would change things.  
Otherwise, I vote for simplicity.


On Fri, 2 Aug 2002, Matthew L. Avizinis wrote:

..Hello all,
..  I know that this is not really a question intrinsically related to XSLT,
..but it seems like all the best minds frequent this list and also I am
..subscribed to this list and not others, so here goes.
..
..I have an index for a book.  I daresay all of you are familiar with them and
..how they look and are structured.
..For example,
..  Aviation
..     Fuel...............38, 55
..     Weather.............. 183
..        Services.......... 199
..
..is a snippet of an index we have.  Some index entries may have children,
..others not.
..
..Two camps have set themselves up here for how the data should be structured
..in XML with potential differences resulting in how it will be processed by
..XSLT (and the supposed complexity of code).  I am not going to say which
..side I am on here but I am hoping someone who is very eloquent and logical
..here will be able to explain why one system would  have more advantages than
..the other.
..In neither system are item's necessarily pre-alphabetized.  In fact, they
..likely won't be presorted at all, and certainly will have to be sort()[ed]
..to make a useful index in say pdf or print formats.
..
..system 1)
..<index>
..   <item></item>
..   <item></item>
..   <item>
..     <item></item>
..     <item></item>
..   </item>
..   <item>
..     <item>
..         <item></item>
..     </item>
..     <item></item>
..   </item>
..</index>
..
..or system 2)
..  <index>
..    <indexdiv>  <!-- for instance, all "A's"  -->
..     <indexentry>
..        <primary>
..           <secondary></secondary>
..           <secondary>
..               <tertiary></tertiary>
..           </secondary>
..        </primary>
..     </indexentry>
..    </indexdiv>
..    <indexdiv>  <!-- for instance, all "B's"  -->
..     <indexentry>
..         etc.
..     </indexentry>
..    <indexdiv>
..   </index>
..
..Opponent of system 2 says that the _only_ benefit is that it is more human
..readable.  Additionally, says that processing with XSLT will be more
..complicated than system 1 for virtually any purpose.  Proponent of system 1
..indicates that it is easier to add a fourth level to the tree without any
..change to XSLT templates that may be needed to transform it.
..
..Help me out guru's an please give me (everyone here seems to behave truly
..altruisticly, hence, yes I say "give me") a good argument for why system 2
..is advantageous over system 1.  (Ok, I guess I _am_ going to tell you which
..side I'm on!)  I'm not really expert enough to be _really eloquent_ on
..matters of XML theory so it's likely that I have just not explained it well
..enough to convince the opposition of my reasoning.  One argument I have
..given is that naming the items and divisions gives the data more intrinsic
..meaning (to humans)-- I hope that at least that assertion is true.  I also
..say that manipulating the data would be more easily accomplished with system
..2 -- that the XSLT code would be no more complicated than with #1 and would,
..in fact, be somewhat simpler.
..
..
..If someone can defend my assertion that #2 is better than #1 , then I will
..be very elated and have much gratitude.  If not, I still think system 2 at
..least looks nicer.
..
..Any takers?  I will be looking forward to reading some thought provocative
..replies.
..
..thanks much,
..   Matthew L. Avizinis <mailto:mla@xxxxxxxxx>
..Gleim Publications, Inc.
..   4201 NW 95th Blvd.
.. Gainesville, FL 32606
..(352)-375-0772
..      www.gleim.com <http://www.gleim.com>
..
..
.. XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
..

-- 

Jeff Kenton
DataPower Technology, Inc.
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http://www.datapower.com/products.shtml



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