Re: [xml] Query about xmlNewReference

[Daniel Veillard <veillard redhat com>]

On Mon, Jun 23, 2008 at 11:51:59AM +0800, Ashwin wrote:
> > In the function xmlNewReference for the following bit of code
> [...]
> > Or should the the line be
> >
> > cur->children = ent->children? 
>
> >  No that's fine you want to a pointer to the entity
> > (see xmllint --debug test/ent1)
>
> Hi,
>   I still have a lingering doubt about the above, consider the example of
> the attached file. The subtree of the entity reference node for &Fname;
> consists of seven children.
>
> This is because the child node of ent ref node &Fname; points to the Entity
> Decl node Fname, hence effectively if try to get the child nodes of ent ref
> node &Fname; we get 7 children.
>
> Should not the child node of ent-ref node be a text node containing the
> replacement text of the entity rather than the entire tree associated with
> the corresponding entity declaration?

  Old email, I double-checked
  I still think that's fine, we are marking ent as the last children too

(gdb) n
2577            cur->children = (xmlNodePtr) ent;
(gdb) n
2578            cur->last = (xmlNodePtr) ent;

So yes in a sense we reference a long list, but we provide the
correct boundaries there. When looking at an entity reference children
(i.e. assuming no entity substitution) the current node dow not 'own'
the children, we just indicate (as much as possible) what nodes are
concerned by the entity value, they are the sub-list between children
and last.
For references those pointers have a slightly different semantic.

Daniel

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