[jdom-interest] getChildren() vs getElements()

[Brett McLaughlin]

Alex Chaffee wrote:
> 
> > getChildElements makes perfect sense, because an Element can easily
> > refer to other elements than its own children.
> 
> "Easily?"  I think it would be very difficult to interpret
> getElements() as returning anything but its own children.

I think with XPath, that isn't neccessarily true.

> 
> That is, there are a certain number of common-sense first-blush
> interpretations about what getElements() would return.  All of these
> interpretations would be cleared up with a simple look at the JavaDoc,
> but for the sake of those seat-of-the-pants desperadoes who just hack
> out code based on "javap org.jdom.Element", then post urgent messages

;-)

> to jdom-interest after their first compile-time error, we would do
> well to examine these interpretations.
> 
> Interpretation 1:  getElements() returns the child elements one level deep
> 
> This is the correct interpretation and feels natural to anyone who's
> used Java collections.
> 
> Interpretation 2:  getElements() returns the child elements all levels deep
> 
> There is no collection class in java.util, or most anywhere else, that
> recurses by default.  In fact, suggestions to add getAllElements() or
> equivalent have been dissed by Jason with "just use a recursive
> Iterator loop like everyone else" implying that that's The Right Way
> to get all elements recursively.  Also, it can be expensive to get all
> children, so that's another reason to assume it does not recurse.
> 
> Interpretation 3:  getElements() returns the parent element
> 
> Yeah, right :-)
> 
> Interpretation 4:  getElements() returns all sibling elements
> 
> Anyone with a basic concept of tree structure would not expect a child
> to refer to its siblings unless through an explicitly-named
> getSiblings() or getNextChild() etc.
> 
> Are there any other elements that an element could "easily" refer to?
> 
> Brett, I hope this helps you work through your phobia of getElements() :-)
> I really believe it's not ambiguous, and that its ambiguity is the
> only potential problem.

I have less of a phobia for getElements() than for getChildren(),
certainly. But thanks for the help, you can bill me ;-) My biggest
concern is with XPath. But if people are OK with that, and really
against getChildElements(), I can live with getElements() much more
easily than getChildren().

-=Brett

> 
>  - A
> 
> --
> Alex Chaffee                       mailto:alex at jguru.com
> jGuru - Java News and FAQs         http://www.jguru.com/alex/
> Creator of Gamelan                 http://www.gamelan.com/
> Founder of Purple Technology       http://www.purpletech.com/
> Curator of Stinky Art Collective   http://www.stinky.com/

-- 
Brett McLaughlin, Enhydra Strategist
Lutris Technologies, Inc. 
1200 Pacific Avenue, Suite 300 
Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA 
http://www.lutris.com
http://www.enhydra.org