In this month's Python and XML column, Uche Ogbuji continues his discussion of Unicode secrets with regard to XML processing in Python, especially BOMs and stream objects. [Jun. 15, 2005]
In the previous article I discussed Unicode compliance in XML tools, and discussed the Python APi for converting strings to Unicode objects, and vice versa. In this one i focus on file ans stream APIs, including a bit of Byte Order Mark (BOM) 101.
In his latest Python-XML column, Uche Ogbuji delves broadly and deeply into the world of Unicode, especially with regard to processing XML in Python.
In this one I started out talking about a quick spot check for Unicode compliance in XML tools, then went on to present some tips on Python's Unicode API. The intent was not to be comprehensive. I cherry-picked the particular Unicode facilities I tend to use the most. As one person mentioned in the comments, there are even more means at your disposal than I cover. I'll get to some of them in part 2, in the next column installment.
Principles of XML design: When the order of XML elements matters
Subtitle: When to be strict and when to be lax as you decide how to order child elements
Editor's synopsis: When multiple XML elements occur within another element, does element order matter? Whether it's the order in which the parser reports elements to applications, or the question of whether or not to mandate specific order in schema patterns, things are not always as simple as they may seem. In this article, Uche Ogbuji covers design and processing considerations related to the order of XML elements.
This is the latest in my series on XML design. The other installments are:
Also along these lines are my discussion of ERH's excellent book Effective XML, and my article "Keep your XML clean".
Thinking XML: Schema standardization for top-down semantic transparency
Subtitle: The state of the art in XML modeling includes reusing models designed by others
Synopsis: This installment continues the review of the many different approaches to semantic transparency, discussing what they mean to the developer using XML. One way to save resources on a long journey is to hitchhike. In XML, you can take advantage of countless open schema initiatives that, in effect, use schema standardization for top-down semantic transparency. But it's not all a free ride. In this article, Uche Ogbuji looks at the advantages and disadvantages of third-party schema reuse. He also takes a moment to discuss The Semantic Technology Conference 2005, and respond to some recent discussion on the difficulty of modeling people's names.
This is a continuation of Thinking XML: State of the art in XML modeling ("What do developers need to know about the various approaches to semantic transparency?"). One more to go in this sub-series, though I'm a bit worried I may not be able to squeeze all my ranged thoughts on semanitc anchors into one coherent article. We'll see. After that, back to the fun hacking, on Python + WordNet.