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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Hi Tamas,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>I think there are many advantages in using xml. First,
XML files are easy to create and schema validation can check document structure
while you are writing it. Schema aware editors can also give you hints and do
automatic inputs of required tags while writing mapfile document. Yes Mapserver
validates mapfiles, but I think the addition of a mapfile structure validator
like xsd would facilitate mapfile creation and debugging.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Schemas can help newbie's to create there first
config files and advanced users and developers visualise, communicate and work
on the current mapfile format. I also think that it would be easier to extend
the mapfile structure in future Mapserver versions if we where using an xml
format... for example adding new OGC tags to mapfiles would be very easy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Plus with all the new xml editing tools out there,
schema creation, visualisation and validation has become a child's play
(hmmm.... well almost!). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Just as you said earlier, automating map config
creation would be another great benefit. And if Mapserver could read non static
mapfiles (via URL's), xml would be a great way to create dynamically generated
mapfiles. If we consider mapfiles as being a kind of database (or database
pointer), wouldn't it be great to be able to easily process it on the fly? XML
coupled with xsl, xpath and databases would be one great way to do that kind of
manipulation. A little like OGC WMC layers that are pointing to different data
layers (wms layers), we could have dynamically generated mapfiles instead of
one huge static file containing all data layers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Xml being rapidly more and more widespread, ways for developers
to input serialization data into Mapserver would be much greater and flexible. Mapfile
management would be more open and greatly enhanced with the use of xml. For
example a url fetched xml mapfile would enable us to easily modify a mapfile
service according to certain parameter like language. We could thus have an
automated multilingual mapfile. Currently we have to save a static mapfile for
every language. They all point to the same data but containing language
specific titles and metadata.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Being an OGC fan, I think there decision to use xml
to disseminate data and ease interop has been a good choice. In that same line
of thought, I think an xml mapfiles format to serialize Mapserver would be a
logical next step.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Cheers<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Héryk<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=3 face="Brush Script MT"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Brush Script MT"'>_____________________________</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName ProductID="Héryk Julien" w:st="on"><strong><b><font
size=3 face="Brush Script MT"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Brush Script MT"'>Héryk
Julien</span></font></b></strong></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
7.5pt'>Research Officer</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
7.5pt'>Natural Resources Canada</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
7.5pt'>490 rue de la Couronne</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
7.5pt'>Québec, Canada</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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