[jdom-interest] JDOM ALPHA - Second Alpha Released

[Rolf Lear]

Hi all.

I have just pushed a second ALPHA release up to github. This release 
contains a new XPath API for JDOM. Please see the page 
https://github.com/hunterhacker/jdom/wiki/JDOM2-Feature:-XPath-Upgrade

If you ae new to the alpha releases please see the wiki pages here:
https://github.com/hunterhacker/jdom/wiki/JDOM2-Features

For those who have played with the first alpha already, the highlights 
of this second alpha release are:

1. new XPath API. The first alpha release had a first-attempt at 
improving the XPath API. That attempt was 'reverted' completely. It has 
been replaced with a second attempt. This second attempt deprecates the 
JDOM 1.x class 'XPath', and introduces a number of new API classes. 
Please see 
https://github.com/hunterhacker/jdom/wiki/JDOM2-Feature:-XPath-Upgrade

2. the entire 'backend' of the *Outputter code has been refactored. This 
change should be transparent to everyone *unless* you oberride/customize 
some outputters (typically XMLOutputter). If you have a customised 
XMLOutputter then your code is basically going to need a big refactor. 
The changes to the Outputter implementations are not yet documented on 
the wiki page, but, essentially, the formatting code and the 'target' 
code have been completely separated. The XMLOutputter no longer has any 
code that deals with the 'look&feel' of the output.


I expect this alpha release to generate a fair amount of discussion 
regarding the XPath API changes. Please take it for a test drive and 
make your opinions known.

I expect to be putting out yet another ALPHA drop in the next week, 
probably with code related to memory efficiency.

Thanks all.

Rolf