SAX2

Appendix B. SAX2 and the XML Infoset

This appendix shows how the various parts of the XML Infoset are made available through the SAX2 event consumer APIs. Think of it as a structural index for concepts in SAX2, or for the underlying XML information structure. Use it when you’re trying to develop SAX2-based software that needs access to particular data. It can also be viewed as an Infoset conformance statement for SAX2; it will help you to understand what parts of the XML Infoset aren’t supported by SAX2 and to see where SAX2 lets you access information beyond what the Infoset addresses. The Infoset is not a data structure; what’s important is that the information be provided, not randomly accessible.

The presentation here is the same as used in the Infoset specification itself; the structure and order are identical. Information items are similar to object types, and each is presented in its own section. Information items consist of sets of named [properties], each of which is presented in a table. Properties can have one or more values, sometimes ordered, which are provided in SAX2 using consumer callbacks. You should be able to make sense of this without reading the infoset specification if you know XML, but you’ll need it to understand some details.

As of this writing, the XML Infoset (http://www.w3.org/TR/xml-infoset/) has recently been finalized. This appendix was written using the 24 October 2001 “Recommendation,” which omits almost all declarations found in the DTD. ...