Re: XSLT merging XML documents

[T_MULLEN 58211 6th Singer St <Tom dot Mullen at reuters dot com>]

Oliver,

Taking the example below:

<a>
  <b>First</b>
  <b>Second</b>
</a>

If we were to have

<a>
  <b>Forst</b>
</a>

How is the algorithm to distinguish between "forst" being an erroneous
spelling of "first" or a different animal altogether.  The answer is, it
can't.  Which is why I thought your idea of using attributes to define
equivalent nodes was rather clever.  In this way you are deferring the
logic to the user of the algorithm by requiring him/her to define how to
compare equivalent nodes.

If there are to be more than one type of an element at the same level then
the user must define how to determine equivalence among them by using
attributes.

For example

<a name="Annie">
  <addr>Some town</addr>
</a>

compared with 

<a name="Annie">
  <addr>Some other town</addr>
</a>

it is obvious that the address is wrong, but if we look at:

<a>
 <b>
  <name>Annie</name>
  <addr>Some town</addr>
 </b>
</a>

compared with 

<a>
 <b>
  <name>Annie</name>
  <addr>Some other town</addr>
 </b>
</a>

there is no generic algorithm that could distinguish whether these are two
different items or the same item with a difference.

In answer to your question

<a>
  <b>First</b>
  <b>Second</b>
</a>

is poorly defined for a differencing/merging utility

Thanks

Tom


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