XDR format XML?

[jinkys]

Hi there

Anyone used Merctaor to handle XDR formatted XML data?

 

[BocaBurger]

What version of Mercator? What platform? Do you have a DTD or schema?



BocaBurger
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The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!

 

[SeriesConsumer]

I can't recognize the relation between XDR and XML. If you mean by XDR the "External Data Representation Standard" as defined by RFC 1014 and RFC 1832, then there is no XML representation at all. Do you want to map XDR into XML? Or do you have XML documents containing elements that contain XDR data? Either way you need a DTD or, better, XML Schema to parse/construct the documents. Furthermore you will have do define the structure of the elements according to the XDR specification. Theoretically that could also be expressed (at least in parts) using XML Schema but as long as the type tree importer ignores facets that's useless work (DSTX 8.0 is said to recognize at least some of them).

 

[jinkys]

Boca

Version 6.7.1 / Solaris / I have a DTD

 

[jinkys]

SeriesConsumer

I want to read and XML message that has been packed usng XDR format (i.e. 4 bits on beginning + some on the end of message depending on required bits)

 

[BocaBurger]

Depends on what XDR does to the data and how you would unpack it.
Might need external process to unpack and then just use tree from DTD. 6.7.1 could be a problem, there have been an number of changes to XML "standard" since that was released. Since you have Solaris, you could install 8.0 under another user ID and use it for XML, without messing up your old system.



BocaBurger
<===========================||////////////////|0
The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!

 

[SeriesConsumer]

Just curious, what changes in XML standard do you mean since the release of 6.7? Mercator's inability to handle XML properly has nothing to do with XML standards.

 

[BocaBurger]

Don't remember specifically.

8.0 is the way to go for XML.



BocaBurger
<===========================||////////////////|0
The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!

 

[SeriesConsumer]

I would have been surprised if you could have remembered some changes since there were none! The problem with XML processing in Mercator 6.7 is the engine that doesn't have the faintest idea what XML is and rather handles it as a bunch of fields with silly initiators and terminator. That leads to very unpleasant consequences, e.g. it is easy to generate XML that is not well formed (although the type tree was imported from a DTD)!

I agree that 8.0 is much better for processing XML files than 6.7. The newly generated type trees are much better readable (unfortunately there is no way to migrate maps to 8.0 and benefit from the new type trees). However, 8.0 still lacks many features that constitute a full featured XML processor.

 

[BocaBurger]

8.0 uses Xerces XML.



BocaBurger
<===========================||////////////////|0
The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!

 

[SeriesConsumer]

And the 8.0 type tree importer is now capable of supporting all facets of XML schema? I doubt this.

 

[BocaBurger]

Most, but can't support xsi, since it isn't defined until run time and requires an internet connection.

If you have a license, download 8.0, test it and if you find something that doesn't work, open a support ticket.



BocaBurger
<===========================||////////////////|0
The pen is mightier than the sword, but the sword hurts more!