[jdom-interest] XMLOutputter naming questions

Simon Harris Haruki_Zaemon at hotmail.com
Mon Oct 2 16:01:39 PDT 2000


How does this differ from using print() with a StringWriter?

As for names, how about:

asString();
getAsString();
xmlAsString();
getXMLAsString();
createString();
stringValue()
getStringValue();

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brett McLaughlin" <brett.mclaughlin at lutris.com>
Cc: <jdom-interest at jdom.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 9:11 AM
Subject: Re: [jdom-interest] XMLOutputter naming questions


>
>
> Alex Chaffee wrote:
> >
> > Louis, Rusty -- the method is called "output" because the class is
> > called "XMLOutputter."  It outputs XML.  If you think "output" has to
> > change something outside the VM, well, that's a different metaphor
> > than is in effect here.  Every process in computer science has input
> > and output; the parameters are the input to a method; and so on.  I
> > think in this case "output" means org.jdom.output means "classes that
> > output from the JDOM library" just like org.jdom.input means "input
> > something into JDOM."
>
> Hmmm... I guess the biggest problem is that I can't think of any Java
> methods that are called output or outputXXX that /return/ a value. I
> could be wrong - I didn't look this up, I'm just going over it in my
> head.
>
> >
> > I especially don'g like "toString(Document)" because toString means
> > "turn the object into a string" but here the object is the
> > XMLOutputter itself.  'toString(x)' would then by extension mean "turn
> > the XMLOutputter into a String based on x" which is not what's going
> > on here.
>
> This is a good argument against toString(), and I agree with it. I can
> also see how getString() might be misleading... but usually getXXX means
> something will be returned, and therefore fits in here to some degree.
>
> Some fodder:
>
> getString()
> getXMLString()
> getXML()
>
> ... I keep coming up with getXXX ... I can't help it. And I know it
> generally refers to properties. If someone can think of something
> between get and output, I'm all for it... And I do agree that toXXX
> isn't really right, either. printXXX is out, so is writeXXX, as they are
> analogs to output that I don't expect to return values.
>
> Maybe generate()? outputter.generate()? I don't know.... or
> generateString()... I'm stumped...
>
> However, I'm going to try and push these and the getText() fix into beta
> 5 (as they are all really needed features), so let's get this resolved
> ASAP.
>
> -Brett
>
> >
> > (XMLOutputter.toString() would return a string with the states of the
> > properties; overloading should not change the high-level semantics of
> > a method, just its parameters.)
> >
> >  - A
> >
> > On Mon, Oct 02, 2000 at 12:35:46PM -0700, Louis Tribble wrote:
> > > Alex Chaffee wrote:
> > > > +1 on outputString, since "get" generally refers to a *property* of
> > > > the object, and String is not a property.  "outputString" is more
> > > > descriptive of what it's really doing.
> > >
> > > Ouch.
> > >
> > > outputString() implies to me that output (some state change to the
> > > external environment) is happening, but it isn't.
> > >
> > > There is some precedent for calling such methods "to<class>()". If, in
> > > this case, toString() is not comfortable (because of its presumptive
> > > debugging usage), we could fall back to toXMLString(), or some such.
> > > For myself, toString() seems fine.
> > >
> > > Louis
> > > --
> > >
> > >
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> > > Louis Tribble
louis at metamata.com
> > > Metamata, Inc.
http://www.metamata.com
> > > Tools for serious Java developers.                       +1 510 796
0915
> > >
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> >
> > --
> > Alex Chaffee                       mailto:alex at jguru.com
> > jGuru - Java News and FAQs         http://www.jguru.com/alex/
> > Creator of Gamelan                 http://www.gamelan.com/
> > Founder of Purple Technology       http://www.purpletech.com/
> > Curator of Stinky Art Collective   http://www.stinky.com/
> > _______________________________________________
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>
> --
> Brett McLaughlin, Enhydra Strategist
> Lutris Technologies, Inc.
> 1200 Pacific Avenue, Suite 300
> Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA
> http://www.lutris.com
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