Representing Lengths in XML files

[bernardmanning]

Hi,

Could anybody tell me which is the way to write lengths out in XML files.

I have a requirement to output units of lengths in both metric and imperial, ie millimeters and feet inches and fraction of inches.

Has anybody got any pointers as to the various methods of achieving this?

Thanks, Berny

 

[harebrain]

<soapbox>
For the record, this is a bad idea. If you're storing data, it will become internally inconsistent: count on it. If you're transferring data, you're wasting bandwidth. The right way to do this is to decide which measurement system you will use internally and provide methods to do the required conversions for the user.
</soapbox>

You could do something like this:

<widget>
  <length>
    <metric>
      <qty>450
        <unit>mm</unit>
      </qty>
    </metric>
    <imperial>
      <qty>15
        <unit>feet</unit>
      </qty>
      <qty>5.72
        <unit>inches</unit>
      </qty>
    </imperial>
  </length>
</widget>

Ack! This is ugly. Stick with metric and do conversions where needed. Good luck.

 

[bernardmanning]

Hi HareBrain,

Thanks for the reply,

Yes, I agree with you about bandwidth and conversion factors etc, however the fact that I need to export both metric and imperial is out of my control

Again , thanks for the reply, Bernard