Re: "Overriding" Attribute Declarations

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Eliot Kimber writes:

> In XML DTDs, one can override the declaration of an attribute declared
> in an external declaration set by declaring the overriding version
> earlier, . . .

> I don't see an obvious way to do with with XSD using redefine.

Depends on the types of the attribute involved.  If the new type is a
restriction of the old, then this is straightforward:

baseAR.xsd:

<xs:schema>
 <xs:complexType name="b">
  <xs:attribute name="a" type="xs:string"/>
 </xs:complexType>
</xs:schema>

1AR.xsd:

<xs:schema>
 <xs:redefine schemaLocation="baseAR.xsd">  
 <xs:complexType name="b">
  <xs:complexContent>
   <xs:restriction base="b">
    <xs:attribute name="a" type="xs:token"/>
   </xs:restriction>
  </xs:complexContent>
 </xs:complexType>
 </xs:redefine>
</xs:schema>

If the new type is _not_ a restriction of the old type, _and_ it's
optional in the base, you can cheat.  This is against the spirit of
the REC, but in practice allowed (I believe):

First we get rid of the attribute:

2AR.xsd:

<xs:schema>
 <xs:redefine schemaLocation="baseAR.xsd">
 <xs:complexType name="b">
  <xs:complexContent>
   <xs:restriction base="b">
    <xs:attribute name="a" use="prohibited"/>
   </xs:restriction>
  </xs:complexContent>
 </xs:complexType>
 </xs:redefine>
</xs:schema>

Then we add it back with the desired type:

3AR.xsd:

<xs:schema>
 <xs:redefine schemaLocation="2AR.xsd">
 <xs:complexType name="b">
  <xs:complexContent>
   <xs:extension base="b">
    <xs:attribute name="a" type="xs:integer"/>
   </xs:extension>
  </xs:complexContent>
 </xs:complexType>
 </xs:redefine>
</xs:schema>

If this helps, hold your nose and go for it!

ht
- -- 
 Henry S. Thompson, HCRC Language Technology Group, University of Edinburgh
                     Half-time member of W3C Team
    2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW, SCOTLAND -- (44) 131 650-4440
            Fax: (44) 131 650-4587, e-mail: ht@inf.ed.ac.uk
                   URL: http://www.ltg.ed.ac.uk/~ht/
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