Re: XML in PHP5

At 13:33 01.02.2003, Melvyn Sopacua wrote:

At 16:02 30-1-2003, you wrote:

For PHP5, I'd like to take the domxml extension, and rework it (still using the libxml and libxslt libraries) and create a "über-extension," which incorporates libxml and libxslt to become the default (and only) XML extension distributed with PHP.

I like the idea, but IMHO the combination XML and PHP5, shouldn't be focused around an extension. Instead it should take the same direction as streams. My reasoning is as follows: All XML related/derived technologies, are focused around an abstraction of data which we know as XML. It has certain rules to recognize the format and how it should be composed. These rules apply to all related technologies. Therefore, PHP should have 'builtin XML support', on the PHPAPI level. Whenever an extension needs to read XML input, it can use that API to get the information outof it, that it needs. For this to work, I think that SAX and XPATH should be core components, tied in with streams to resolve any references. How this should be worked out, is of later concern, but in order for XML to seemlessly integrate with php, one should not rely on extensions IMHO.

If we get a stable XML * core * component maybe we get more XML technologies by extensions. And all XML related extensions will improve by this since they could better/easier work together/interact with each other. The opposite of that is that some extensions need complete rewriting - but they would become easier in a maintanence view. marcus