Foundation and Mapserver MAP file manag e tool

[Umberto Nicoletti]

The trouble with databases is that they could be more difficult to
edit by hand than a xml file. Withoud a db involved the user would not
have to learn sql to be able to modifiy a map definition directly.

[OT]
In my app I use and XML to Java objects mapping tool called digester
and then use Velocity templates to generate the map file: Velocity
templates are also very intuitive and would enable users to mantain
many different versions depending on mapserver version for instance.
[/OT]

Regards,
Umberto

On 12/15/05, Norman Barker <nbarker at rsinc.com> wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU]On
> Behalf Of Jeroen Ticheler
> Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 11:19 AM
> To: MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU
> Subject: Re: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] Foundation and Mapserver MAP file
> manag e tool
>
>
> Fully support this! I'm also looking for a DTD/schema that can
> produce valid Map files.
>
> MapServer may have to be modified in some parts to make sure it is
> consistent throughout when running map services based on files
> created by the schema.
>
> Also OGC specific parts have to be included in such schema to make
> sure we can quickly generate valid map files with OGC WMS/WCS and WFS
> support.
>
> I would like to use such such schema to create XSL transformations of
> metadata (ISO19115) stored in GeoNetwork opensource to generate map
> files for data producing OGC services (even on the fly).
>
> I would also use it to do XSL transformations of AXL documents I
> export from ArcMap using the MXD2AXL I developed to create map files
> straight out of ArcMap.
>
> Ciao,
> Jeroen
>
> On 15 Dec 2005, at 00:01, Bob Basques wrote:
>
> > Steve,
> >
> > Ok, now we're talking, XML!! Yeah, I even have a body here I can
> > put to work on something like this with some direction from the
> > rest of the community.
> >
> ><snip>
>
> Hi,
>
> I have been using XML / XSL for a while to create map files for our services.  From my experience it is easier to use a database (hypersonic is very light) or MySQL and then use the SQL extensions for stylesheets (http://xml.apache.org/xalan-j/extensionslib.html) this broadens the applications of this technology, e.g. you could have web app updating the database, eclipse reading either the database or xml file or 'data objects'.  Whilst a schema enforces the correctness of an XML file, it doesn't support the transactional features of a database, allowing you to rollback etc.
>
> XSL is definitely the way to go though (IMHO), it is easy to use and learn.
>
> Norman
>