Defs format and XML



Hi Mike,

I was reading your message about switching from the s-expression defs format to an XML format: http://lists.ximian.com/archives/public/gtk-sharp-list/2002-January/000021.html

It brought up a few questions:

You say that an XML format was easier to use. This is likely to be true for any language where XML parsers are readily available (or come standard), but s-expression parsers are not. This probably covers almost every language available today (except scheme/lisp which have s-expression parsers built in :).

One of the aims of the defs format is to be able to share as much stuff between the various binding projects as possible. If the use of s-expressions is making it more difficult for defs files to be used, then we should ask whether that choice was correct. On IRC Andrei also said that use of an XML format would have made his life easier.

It would be fairly easy to map the existing defs format to XML, and the changes in my python code generator would be fairly localised (I already went through the process once in the going from Havoc's version 2 format to the current one). I can't speak for other developers though (Ariel?, Murray?).

You also said that the current defs format was missing some features needed for the GTK# binding. Was there any particular features you are looking for? If the problems can be identified, then hopefully we can integrate the ideas into the defs spec.

Please don't misinterpret this as a stake burning :) I would just like to see all LBs using the same formats/code where appropriate.

James.

--
Email: james daa com au
WWW:   http://www.daa.com.au/~james/





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