[scala-bts] #3039: UnprefixedAttribute#getNamespace always returns null

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Reporter: ittayd | Owner: scala-xml_team
Type: defect | Status: closed
Priority: normal | Component: XML support
Version: | Resolution: invalid
Keywords: |
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Changes (by extempore):

* cc: paulp@… (added)
* status: new => closed
* resolution: => invalid

Comment:

That null is what the "UnPrefixed" means.

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Reporter: ittayd | Owner: scala-xml_team
Type: defect | Status: reopened
Priority: normal | Component: XML support
Version: | Resolution:
Keywords: |
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Changes (by ittayd):

* status: closed => reopened
* resolution: invalid =>

Comment:

it is unprefixed, so it has the default namespace.

this is the behavior you get for Node#namepsace:
def namespace = getNamespace(this.prefix)

if prefix is null, it doesn't return null, but instead calls
getNamespace(null) which returns the default namespace.

-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------
Reporter: ittayd | Owner: scala-xml_team
Type: defect | Status: closed
Priority: normal | Component: XML support
Version: | Resolution: invalid
Keywords: |
-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------
Changes (by extempore):

* status: reopened => closed
* resolution: => invalid

Comment:

Replying to [comment:2 ittayd]:
> it is unprefixed, so it has the default namespace.

Look, all I've got to go on is what the guy who wrote the code says. Four
years ago in r4058 he checked in this implementation:
{{{
+ /** returns null */
+ final def getNamespace(owner: Node): String =
+ null;
}}}
I'd say "final", "null", and the elaboratory comment "returns null"
indicate pretty transparently that it was intentional. For extra
redundancy this comment leads the file:
{{{
/** Unprefixed attributes have the null namespace, and no prefix field
}}}
And that is what the implementation has been for the 17000 commits since
r4058. So if you want to reopen this ticket, please get buraq to sign off
on it. I can't evaluate the argument on its merits because it would
require deeper understanding of xml than I possess or desire. But I can
easily say that changing the behavior of some of the oldest code in trunk
is going to require more than someone's claim that it ought to be
different.

-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------
Reporter: ittayd | Owner: scala-xml_team
Type: defect | Status: closed
Priority: normal | Component: XML support
Version: | Resolution: invalid
Keywords: |
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Comment(by milessabin):

Chapter and verse is in [http://www.w3.org/TR/xml-names/ Namespaces in XML
1.0] section 6.2,

A default namespace declaration applies to all unprefixed element names
within its scope. Default namespace declarations do not apply directly to
attribute names; '''the interpretation of unprefixed attributes is
determined by the element on which they appear.'''

If there is a default namespace declaration in scope, the expanded name
corresponding to an unprefixed element name has the URI of the default
namespace as its namespace name. If there is no default namespace
declaration in scope, the namespace name has no value. '''The namespace
name for an unprefixed attribute name always has no value.''' In all
cases, the local name is local part (which is of course the same as the
unprefixed name itself)."

So Burak had it right here.