RE: XML DTD?

[Micone, Andrew (Manpower Contract)]

Chad Wrote:
"Certainly do-able, but the question is, "Why?"  If GNATS were to be
rewritten from scratch, XML metadata would certainly be the way to go"

For convenience in communicating with systems and programs external to
GNATS, which can parse XML easily but require customization to read
proprietary formats. I mean, you can always use query-pr to export
things into CSV, but I'd really prefer to work with XML and let other
tools do the work. Plus, there's always something new to be learned
undertaking such a project.

"...You could step in to it incrementally by providing an XML export,
perhaps."

Good idea, hadn't thought of that. That might be a more productive
direction. Re-writing GNATS certainly isn't one of my goals. I'm happy
enough with GNATS and there's too many wheels in the world already for
me to invent another one. 

-- Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: Chad Walstrom [mailto:address@hidden 
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2003 1:33 PM
To: address@hidden
Subject: Re: XML DTD?


Micone, Andrew wrote:
> We've been using GNATS quite successfully for a while now. The file 
> format for the GNATS requests is a tagged format I sometimes think 
> would be better expressed in XML. I might take it upon myself make 
> that happen.

Certainly do-able, but the question is, "Why?"  If GNATS were to be
rewritten from scratch, XML metadata would certainly be the way to go,
especially with XPath and SAX to play with for querying the docs.

Still, GNATS has a good, fast little indexing application.  Replacing
the metadata with XML would be a major rewrite.  You could step in to it
incrementally by providing an XML export, perhaps.

> Does anybody know of an XML DTD used for tracking bug/help requests? 
> I'd rather use one that someone else has standardized upon than roll 
> one of my own.

Unfortuately, no.  It would be wonderful if people would register their
DTD's with some central registry database.

-- 
Chad Walstrom <address@hidden>           http://www.wookimus.net/
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