NYCPHP Meetup

[Brian D.]

> > An XML document doesn't have a field definition (unless you tell it
> > to, of course, using any of the methods you described).
> >
> No.
> Valid XML documents must adhere to their DTD/Schema and to that
> degree they have fields -- called 'elements'.
> like
> <customer>
>    <first_name>Alfred</first_name>
>    <last_name>Wilson</last_name>
>    ...
> </customer>

What I mean is that it doesn't matter (unless you enforce it) whether
you call it:
<firstname></firstname>
or
<first_name></first_name>
or
<froo></froo>

What you put into the XML DB is irrelevant, unless you want it to be.
Of course, it has be valid XML, but, as you pointed out, the
flexibility allows you to carry the semantics along with the data.
That's the point I think a lot of the questions at the presentation
last Tuesday missed.

- Brian Dailey

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