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<blockquote data-quote="megasycophant" data-source="post: 4309486" data-attributes="member: 69639">Whaddya know, my first ENWorld post.&nbsp; This kinda stuff really brings the geeks outta the woodwork, eh?I heartily second that.&nbsp; Generic elements like the &quot;choice&quot; element above kinda violate the core premise of xml, in that the elements should be self-descriptive.&nbsp; (The worst example I've seen being xml configuration files full of &lt;property name=&quot;key&quot;&gt;someValue&lt;/property&gt; lines, serving to do nothing but complicate a properties file.)&nbsp; This also makes validation downright impossible.One glaring issue I'm seeing, and perhaps it's because I'm thinking about it from a different perspective, is that it seems to me that the cart is coming before the horse.&nbsp; If this xml schema is just being created to be able to display/store unvalidated character information, that's all well and good, but if any sort of validation is to occur, more groundwork should be laid.&nbsp; (Of course, that could just be my preference for the bottom-up approach.)&nbsp; I would say:<ol>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Type hierarchies should be defined codifying specific options available.&nbsp; Easier shown than explained, here's an example using feats, the most obvious.&nbsp; First the schema: 
[CODE]&lt;xsd:schema xmlns:xsd=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema&quot; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; xmlns:xsi=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance&quot; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; xsi:schemaLocation=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema.xsd&quot;&gt; 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:element name=&quot;pc&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:complexType&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:sequence&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:element name=&quot;feat&quot; type=&quot;Feat&quot; maxOccurs=&quot;unbounded&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:sequence&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:attribute name=&quot;name&quot; type=&quot;xsd:string&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:complexType&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:element&gt; 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:simpleType name=&quot;WeaponGroup&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:restriction base=&quot;xsd:string&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:enumeration value=&quot;spears&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:enumeration value=&quot;heavy blades&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;!-- other groups here --&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:restriction&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:simpleType&gt; 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:complexType name=&quot;Feat&quot; abstract=&quot;true&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:attribute name=&quot;name&quot; type=&quot;xsd:string&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:anyAttribute /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:complexType&gt; 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:complexType name=&quot;GeneralFeat&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:complexContent&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:restriction base=&quot;Feat&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:attribute name=&quot;name&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:simpleType&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:restriction base=&quot;xsd:string&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:enumeration value=&quot;Alertness&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;!-- other feat names here --&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:restriction&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:simpleType&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:attribute&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:restriction&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:complexContent&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:complexType&gt; 
 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:complexType name=&quot;WeaponGroupFeat&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:complexContent&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:restriction base=&quot;Feat&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:attribute name=&quot;name&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:simpleType&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:restriction base=&quot;xsd:string&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:enumeration value=&quot;Weapon Focus&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;!-- other feat names here --&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:restriction&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:simpleType&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:attribute&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;xsd:attribute name=&quot;group&quot; type=&quot;WeaponGroup&quot; use=&quot;required&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:restriction&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:complexContent&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/xsd:complexType&gt; 
&lt;/xsd:schema&gt;[/CODE] 
And here's an example document: 
[CODE]&lt;pc name=&quot;Joe&quot; xmlns:xsi=&quot;http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance&quot; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation=&quot;enWorldExample.xsd&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;feat xsi:type=&quot;GeneralFeat&quot; name=&quot;Alertness&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;feat xsi:type=&quot;WeaponGroupFeat&quot; name=&quot;Weapon Focus&quot; group=&quot;spears&quot; /&gt; 
&lt;/pc&gt;[/CODE]</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">A dataset should be defined enumerating options, [somewhat bogus yet hopefully illustrative] frex: 
[CODE]&lt;weapon name=&quot;dagger&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;group&gt;light blade&lt;/group&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;category&gt;simple&lt;/category&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;handedness&gt;1&lt;/handedness&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;melee&gt;true&lt;/melee&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;range&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;category&gt;light thrown&lt;/category&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;normal&gt;5&lt;/normal&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;long&gt;10&lt;/long&gt;&lt;!-- assuming these aren't always 2x normal --&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/range&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;proficiencyBonus&gt;+3&lt;/proficiencyBonus&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;damage&gt;1d4&lt;/damage&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;price&gt;1&lt;/price&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;weight&gt;1&lt;/weight&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;offHand&gt;true&lt;/offHand&gt; 
&lt;/weapon&gt; 
[/CODE]</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">The character definition should consist of references (to keys defined by the schema) to this dataset, frex: 
[CODE] 
&lt;pc name=&quot;Joe&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;body&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;leftHand item=&quot;dagger&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;rightHand item=&quot;dagger&quot; /&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;/body&gt; 
&lt;/pc&gt; 
[/CODE]</li>
</ol>That said, it almost feels to me like the best way to go about some of this would be to have two layers of schema, the first used to generate the core data, then somehow compile the core data into a schema used for character definition.&nbsp; When you start getting into weapon-specific feats like Weapon Proficiency (I started to use this to show it) or updating enumerated things on the fly, schema gets a lot hairier and scarier and it would mean manually editing the schema.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="megasycophant, post: 4309486, member: 69639"] Whaddya know, my first ENWorld post. This kinda stuff really brings the geeks outta the woodwork, eh? I heartily second that. Generic elements like the "choice" element above kinda violate the core premise of xml, in that the elements should be self-descriptive. (The worst example I've seen being xml configuration files full of [I]<property name="key">someValue</property>[/I] lines, serving to do nothing but complicate a properties file.) This also makes validation downright impossible. One glaring issue I'm seeing, and perhaps it's because I'm thinking about it from a different perspective, is that it seems to me that the cart is coming before the horse. If this xml schema is just being created to be able to display/store unvalidated character information, that's all well and good, but if any sort of validation is to occur, more groundwork should be laid. (Of course, that could just be my preference for the bottom-up approach.) I would say: [list=1] [*]Type hierarchies should be defined codifying specific options available. Easier shown than explained, here's an example using feats, the most obvious. First the schema: [CODE]<xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema.xsd"> <xsd:element name="pc"> <xsd:complexType> <xsd:sequence> <xsd:element name="feat" type="Feat" maxOccurs="unbounded" /> </xsd:sequence> <xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string" /> </xsd:complexType> </xsd:element> <xsd:simpleType name="WeaponGroup"> <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string"> <xsd:enumeration value="spears" /> <xsd:enumeration value="heavy blades" />  </xsd:restriction> </xsd:simpleType> <xsd:complexType name="Feat" abstract="true"> <xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string" /> <xsd:anyAttribute /> </xsd:complexType> <xsd:complexType name="GeneralFeat"> <xsd:complexContent> <xsd:restriction base="Feat"> <xsd:attribute name="name"> <xsd:simpleType> <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string"> <xsd:enumeration value="Alertness" />  </xsd:restriction> </xsd:simpleType> </xsd:attribute> </xsd:restriction> </xsd:complexContent> </xsd:complexType> <xsd:complexType name="WeaponGroupFeat"> <xsd:complexContent> <xsd:restriction base="Feat"> <xsd:attribute name="name"> <xsd:simpleType> <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string"> <xsd:enumeration value="Weapon Focus" />  </xsd:restriction> </xsd:simpleType> </xsd:attribute> <xsd:attribute name="group" type="WeaponGroup" use="required" /> </xsd:restriction> </xsd:complexContent> </xsd:complexType> </xsd:schema>[/CODE] And here's an example document: [CODE]<pc name="Joe" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="enWorldExample.xsd"> <feat xsi:type="GeneralFeat" name="Alertness" /> <feat xsi:type="WeaponGroupFeat" name="Weapon Focus" group="spears" /> </pc>[/CODE] [*]A dataset should be defined enumerating options, [somewhat bogus yet hopefully illustrative] frex: [CODE]<weapon name="dagger"> <group>light blade</group> <category>simple</category> <handedness>1</handedness> <melee>true</melee> <range> <category>light thrown</category> <normal>5</normal> <long>10</long> </range> <proficiencyBonus>+3</proficiencyBonus> <damage>1d4</damage> <price>1</price> <weight>1</weight> <offHand>true</offHand> </weapon> [/CODE] [*]The character definition should consist of references (to keys defined by the schema) to this dataset, frex: [CODE] <pc name="Joe"> <body> <leftHand item="dagger" /> <rightHand item="dagger" /> </body> </pc> [/CODE] [/list] That said, it almost feels to me like the best way to go about some of this would be to have two layers of schema, the first used to generate the core data, then somehow compile the core data into a schema used for character definition. When you start getting into weapon-specific feats like Weapon Proficiency (I started to use this to show it) or updating enumerated things on the fly, schema gets a lot hairier and scarier and it would mean manually editing the schema. [/QUOTE]

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