[Freeciv-Dev] Re: do you really want to work on the ~ (was: registry)

["jules@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <dbsmith@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Originally to: David Bryan Smith

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Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 20:30:15 +0000
From: Jules Bean <jules@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Petr Baudis <pasky@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: freeciv-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Freeciv-Dev] Re: do you really want 
to work on the ~ (was: registry)
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<20011205192523.GN19852@xxxxxxxxxxx>; from 
pasky@xxxxxxxxxxx on Wed, Dec 05, 2001 at 
08:25:23PM +0100
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On Wed, Dec 05, 2001 at 08:25:23PM +0100, 
Petr Baudis wrote:
> I think we don't need XML at all. It at 
least looks much less readable and
> comfortablee for me. I would be completely 
happy with C-like ruleset syntax -
> i.e.:
> 
> building {
>   id = "Airport";
>   name = _("Airport");
>   tech_req = "Radio";
>   effect {
>     type = "Unit_Veteran";
>     range = "City";
>     aff_unit = "Air";
>   }
>   effect {
>     type = "Airlift";
>     range = "City";
>   }
>   helptext = _("Blablabla\
> blabla\n\nbla\
> blah!");
> }

That is neater.  XML is more verbose, 
certainly.

> It would be IMHO much cleaner than current 
one, and actually not so much
> different. As a parser, I don't see 
anything particulary wrong on flex+bison.
> Easy to use, portable, effecient.

I don't recommend it.  Writing your own 
parser is error-prone (unless
you feel like the challenge). Much nicer to 
use a library which loads
a format for you.  XML gives you that, and 
even some level of
validation.

Alternatively, there may be standardised 
forms of the above. Doesn't
the stuff libproplist uses look a bit like 
that?

OTOH, the thing about XMl is there exist nice 
editors for it. And nice 
modes for popular editors. And it's easy to 
filter and
transform. (Automatically generated beautful 
LaTeX format
documentation from your ruleset file?)

I would argue that the *only* bad thing about 
XML is its excessive
verboseness when viewed by hand.  It has 
technical and pragmatic
advantages.

Jules