reusing an xml structure with different attributes

[foxuk]

Hi,
I have a problem with large repeating xml structures.
Here's a fragment of xml:

<TestAction>
<ActionTimeOut>10000</ActionTimeOut>
<ActionType>
<CallAPI>
<APICall ReuseOutput="False" OutputReference="" OnErrorAbort="True">Bind
<APIParameter PreLoad="False">
<APIParameterName>pmdsa
<UseName>mdsa</UseName>
<APIParameterType>In/Out</APIParameterType>
<APIParameterInputValue ReturnInto="True" PreLoad="False">mdsa</APIParameterInputValue>
<APIParameterOutputValue Validate="True" Reuse="False" ReuseReference="">!NULL</APIParameterOutputValue>
</APIParameterName>
<APIParameterName>requestedDirectories
<UseName>pz_directories1</UseName>
<APIParameterType>In</APIParameterType>
<APIParameterInputValue ReturnInto="False" PreLoad="True">{"$LocalDir$", NULL}</APIParameterInputValue>
<APIParameterOutputValue Validate="False" Reuse="False" ReuseReference=""></APIParameterOutputValue>
</APIParameterName>
<APIParameterName>Id
<UseName></UseName>
<APIParameterType>In</APIParameterType>
<APIParameterInputValue ReturnInto="False" PreLoad="False">NULL</APIParameterInputValue>
<APIParameterOutputValue Validate="False" Reuse="False" ReuseReference=""></APIParameterOutputValue>
</APIParameterName>
<APIParameterName>passWord
<UseName></UseName>
<APIParameterType>In</APIParameterType>
<APIParameterInputValue ReturnInto="False" PreLoad="False">NULL</APIParameterInputValue>
<APIParameterOutputValue Validate="False" Reuse="False" ReuseReference=""></APIParameterOutputValue>
</APIParameterName>
<APIParameterName>actualDirectory
<UseName>actualDirectory1</UseName>
<APIParameterType>In/Out</APIParameterType>
<APIParameterInputValue ReturnInto="False" PreLoad="True">"None!"</APIParameterInputValue>
<APIParameterOutputValue Validate="True" Reuse="False" ReuseReference="">$compstr1$(actualDirectory1, strcat(strcpy(tempCmp, pz_head), pz_directories1[0])) == 0</APIParameterOutputValue>
</APIParameterName>
<APIParameterName>actual_max_len
<UseName></UseName>
<APIParameterType>In/Out</APIParameterType>
<APIParameterInputValue ReturnInto="False" PreLoad="False">sizeof(actualDirectory1)</APIParameterInputValue>
<APIParameterOutputValue Validate="False" Reuse="False" ReuseReference=""></APIParameterOutputValue>
</APIParameterName>
</APIParameter>
<APICallReturnCode Validate="True">0</APICallReturnCode>
</APICall>
<Thread>All</Thread>
<WaitTime>0</WaitTime>
<Repeat>1</Repeat>
<ExpectedResult CompareFile="" ExpectedFile="" MaxResponseTime="" OnResultErrorAbort="True" STDERR="" STDOUT="" FullOutput="False">0</ExpectedResult>
</CallAPI>
</ActionType>
<ActionComment></ActionComment>
</TestAction>

It's pretty big and bulky. This structure (and many others) could be declared many times within one file but with different attribute values. The problem with this, then is that the file becomes pretty large while at the same time containing repeated code (with a few differing attributes in each one).

Does anyone know of a way that I could declare this piece of xml once and then some how "call" it while filling it with different attribute values each time?

The xml code above is defined in a dtd.

I did think about placing the code in an xml sub-document and then use an !ENTITY statement to "call" it at various points through the main xml document, but the problem there is that it is only a static copy, and not one that contains a few differing attribute values.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

 

[tgreer]

That's the nature of XML, I think.

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

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