[alicebot-archcomm] Attributes vs Elements

[Andrew Teal]

Following up the General thread 
RE: [alicebot-general] Condition help, 
I remembered I had a similar problem when trying to compare 'variables':

<category>
<pattern>COMPAREVARIABLES *  *</pattern>
<template>
<condition name="<star/>">
<li value="<get name="<star index="2"/>"/>">Same value!</li>
<li>Different values!</li>
</condition></template>
</category>

Again that's logically what I want to do, but it's even 'more illegal'   :-)
than Christopher's example!

It's our use of attributes rather than (nested) xml elements that causes(?)
these (and other?) problems.

<category>
<pattern>COMPAREVARIABLES *  *</pattern>
<template>
<condition><name><star/></name>
	<li><value><get><name><star index="2"/></name></get></value>Same
value!</li>
	<li>Different values!</li>
</condition>
</template></category>

... would be fine (though the tag names may need clarifying!). McLaughlin
says (Java & XML) "... a good rule of thumb: use elements for
multiple-valued data and attributes for single-valued data." Does that apply
in these contexts?

The original example would be re-written

  <category>
  <pattern>I AM NOT *</pattern>
  <template>
     <think><set name="denyname"><formal><star/></formal></set></think>
     <condition>
 
<li><name>denyname</name><value><get><name>name</name></get></value>You're
not?<srai>NOT MY NAME</srai></li>
        <li>I suppose you're not.</li>
     </condition>
  </template>
  </category>

Are the problems severe enough to justify proposing a change?

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
 Andrew Teal        Information Technologist              
 School of Human & Health Sciences
 HW1/05, University of Huddersfield, 
 Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH
<a.teal@hud.ac.uk>      Tel: 01484 473674
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