[mapserver-dev] OSGEO 2009 Annual Report - MapServer

[Alan Boudreault]

Hi zach,

I understand perfectly your point, although I don't really agree with 
the article. I personnally find that a method called "getFeatureType" is 
better than "get_feature_type" and obviously "getfeaturetype". That's a 
matter of opinion.

It's important to say that comparing function/variable names of an api 
and a xml format is not really relevant.  We haven't written the xml 
mapfile format to replace the normal mapfile one (at least not yet) but 
rather to allow other librairies and softwares to produce valid mapfiles 
easily (and perhaps get a complete mapfile editor a day? :) ). The 
normal mapfile format is parsed with Bison/Flex and it's relatively hard 
to play with them. It would be the chaos to parse and validate user data 
inside other librairies. I know that I've already said it, but XML has 
not been made to be written manually and xml mapfile format has not been 
implemented to replace the normal mapfile format if it's to write 
mapfile manually.

Hope my explanation makes sense.

regards,
Alan

zach cruise wrote:
> xml is case-sensitive (monocasing cost) but it (and xml mapfile)
> doesn't have to be (too late). unfortunately mapfile is often written
> manually (cgi not mapscript) and the same practice would extend to xml
> mapfile. most people don't think in camel-case (not to mention the
> added cost of comparison).
> rant: http://www.tonymarston.co.uk/php-mysql/case-sensitive-software-is-evil.html
>
> On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 7:13 PM, Alan Boudreault
> <aboudreault at mapgears.com> wrote:
>   
>> AFAIK, XML is case sentivive, so yes. XML is not really made to be written
>> "manually". Most of xml editors auto-complete what you write based on the
>> xml schema. And if you are writting it manually, there is 4 rules to follow:
>>
>> * All container tags (a tag which contain other tags) start with an
>> uppercase.
>> * All non-container tags start with a lowercase.
>> * All subsequent words begin with a uppercase
>> * All constant value (like FEET, INCHES, MILES, PIXELS, HILITE) are
>> uppercase.
>>
>> regards,
>> Alan
>>
>> zach cruise wrote:
>>     
>>> do the xml mapfile tags, attributes and values have to be camel-case?
>>> that really sucks!
>>>
>>> thanks for your work though.
>>>
>>> On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 12:07 AM, Lime, Steve D (DNR)
>>> <Steve.Lime at state.mn.us> wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> Hi all: I spaced putting this together and just got to it this evening.
>>>> While I think I hit most of the high (and low) points of the past twelve
>>>> months there is undoubtedly room for improvement. Feel free to pass changes
>>>> along to me (or make 'em yourself). The draft version is at:
>>>>
>>>>  http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/MapServer_Report_2009
>>>>
>>>> Steve_______________________________________________
>>>> mapserver-dev mailing list
>>>> mapserver-dev at lists.osgeo.org
>>>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-dev
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> mapserver-dev mailing list
>>> mapserver-dev at lists.osgeo.org
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>>>
>>>       
>> --
>> Alan Boudreault
>> Mapgears
>> http://www.mapgears.com/
>>     


-- 
Alan Boudreault
Mapgears
http://www.mapgears.com/