Schema Components Infoset Model in Java

Date:      Fri, 24 May 2002 05:04:52 -0400
From:      Bob Schloss <rschloss@us.ibm.com>
Subject:   Preliminary Version of Schema Components Infoset Model in Java by IBM
           is available on Partnerworld for Developers

There has been a lot of discussion (on various mailing lists) about the benefits of a standard API which would allow software that creates, examines or modify XML Schemas, written in Java, to do so in a way that represents the semantic XML schema components described in the W3C XML Schema specifications.

In February, we shared with the W3C Schema and DOM working groups some thoughts about what such an API should try to do. You can see those 'requirements' described here:

http://www.research.ibm.com/XML/schema/WD-XML-Schema-Infoset-API-Req.htm.

I have been lucky to work with Ed Merks, part of the IBM Websphere Studio Application Developer development group, to define such an API and to produce a reference implementation. Although we have not yet completed every last function we have in mind to implement, nor have we done any performance tuning, this API has been used successfully in building several real XML and Web Services tools. We have tried to make a reasonable and straightforward Javadoc, and have been grateful to have Shane Curcuru, who has worked on the Apache Xalan team, give us some guidance on how to do this. We are aiming for an API which is very complete: not simply read- only, and able to handle any XML Schema, no matter how complex. We tried to use the terminology from the W3C's XML Schema specifications in naming our classes/interfaces, methods, a constants.

We have now made this work, including source code, UML, example usage code and documentation, available publically for the wider community to examine and use. Donating a future version of this to some open source effort is possible, although I can't make a commitment on behalf of IBM at this time.

We encourage you to download our work. You can do so through IBM's Partnerworld for Developers web pages.

[The document at]

https://www.developer.ibm.com/member/register/how2join.html

shows how you can get yourself an ID and password if you've never joined Partnerworld for Developers.

https://www.developer.ibm.com/websphere/member/workbench_beta_download.html

[is] where you can find the XSD Feature, the name for the Schema Infoset Model (aka com.ibm.etools.xsd)

Note: I have posted this notice also to several other xml and web services development lists, but have asked that any questions and comments be posted to this list at least until the end of June.

Bob Schloss
XML/XSL Transformational Technologies
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. For schema description and references, see "XML Schemas."

SEARCH Advanced Search ABOUT Site Map CP RSS Channel Contact Us Sponsoring CP About Our Sponsors NEWS Cover Stories Articles & Papers Press Releases CORE STANDARDS XML SGML Schemas XSL/XSLT/XPath XLink XML Query CSS SVG TECHNOLOGY REPORTS XML Applications General Apps Government Apps Academic Apps EVENTS LIBRARY Introductions FAQs Bibliography Technology and Society Semantics Tech Topics Software Related Standards Historic	Schema Components Infoset Model in Java Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 05:04:52 -0400 From: Bob Schloss <rschloss@us.ibm.com> Subject: Preliminary Version of Schema Components Infoset Model in Java by IBM is available on Partnerworld for Developers There has been a lot of discussion (on various mailing lists) about the benefits of a standard API which would allow software that creates, examines or modify XML Schemas, written in Java, to do so in a way that represents the semantic XML schema components described in the W3C XML Schema specifications. In February, we shared with the W3C Schema and DOM working groups some thoughts about what such an API should try to do. You can see those 'requirements' described here: http://www.research.ibm.com/XML/schema/WD-XML-Schema-Infoset-API-Req.htm. I have been lucky to work with Ed Merks, part of the IBM Websphere Studio Application Developer development group, to define such an API and to produce a reference implementation. Although we have not yet completed every last function we have in mind to implement, nor have we done any performance tuning, this API has been used successfully in building several real XML and Web Services tools. We have tried to make a reasonable and straightforward Javadoc, and have been grateful to have Shane Curcuru, who has worked on the Apache Xalan team, give us some guidance on how to do this. We are aiming for an API which is very complete: not simply read- only, and able to handle any XML Schema, no matter how complex. We tried to use the terminology from the W3C's XML Schema specifications in naming our classes/interfaces, methods, a constants. We have now made this work, including source code, UML, example usage code and documentation, available publically for the wider community to examine and use. Donating a future version of this to some open source effort is possible, although I can't make a commitment on behalf of IBM at this time. We encourage you to download our work. You can do so through IBM's Partnerworld for Developers web pages. [The document at] https://www.developer.ibm.com/member/register/how2join.html shows how you can get yourself an ID and password if you've never joined Partnerworld for Developers. https://www.developer.ibm.com/websphere/member/workbench_beta_download.html [is] where you can find the XSD Feature, the name for the Schema Infoset Model (aka com.ibm.etools.xsd) Note: I have posted this notice also to several other xml and web services development lists, but have asked that any questions and comments be posted to this list at least until the end of June. Bob Schloss XML/XSL Transformational Technologies IBM T.J. Watson Research Center Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. For schema description and references, see "XML Schemas."