On Sat, Feb 15, 2025 at 7:28b/AM Roger L Costello costello@xxxxxxxxx <
xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> What other advantages and disadvantages does XSLT have?


An XML element as a container is a list and a map at the same time.
IMO this is the optimal data structure for computing in general and it
gives it (and derivative tech like XSLT) a significant advantage over other
structures.

A JSON element by comparison can only be a list or a map but not both.

Most programming languages do not have a data structure that is a list with
a map interface. Java doesn't that I'm aware of. A PHP array is.

Although XML as a data structure does have a few holes like the attributes
are not ordered and space between attributes cannot be captured which
unfortunately makes it unusable for reading, modifying and then writing
something like a config file where you want the attributes to be neatly
indented and in order.

There should be a standard data structure with elements that are
essentially just a list but have a map interface (eg attributes with a
special NO_KEY constant are children).

Mike

--
Michael B Allen
Java AD DS Integration
https://www.ioplex.com/ <http://www.ioplex.com/>