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Among the namespaces categorized as reserved, as per 3.2 Reserved Namespaces, I don't find the W3C XML Schema namespace, which only allows addressing built-in types(http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-datatypes). I cannot comment on the issue of the two namespaces(if there is an issue at all), but my current thought is that the data types namespace should at least be reserved. It would otherwise be possible to for example create a stylesheet function(xsl:function) with a local name identical to a primitive type and the namespace being WXS-datatypes, hence looking like a constructor function, and creating potential problems. Cheers, Frans
Since the -datatypes namespace is not normative and would lead to a problem with having two non-related types in our type system we discourage the use of these types and decided a long time ago to not include them in the type system or provide a predefined namespace prefix binding. Best regards Michael (speaking for himself)
Ok. In effect, the -datatypes namespace is an arbitrary namespace with no special meaning in any context. This namespace-issue is a bit confusing matter, in my opinion. It might clear future confusion if the -datatypes namespace was explicitly mentioned in a specification(xslt20?), and outline the rationale. It might be informative, but also promote conformance among implementations, since if special treatment of the -datatypes namespace is implemented, it can lead to clashes with user code(this change to the specification is a suggestion, not a request). (I am fine with having the bug report closed as INVALID, or any other resolution.) Cheers, Frans
A personal response: XSLT attaches no special meaning to names in the W3C Schema datatypes namespace, for example, data types in this namespace are not recognized as data types, and functions in this namespace are not recognized as constructors. Therefore, the namespace falls into the same category as many other namespaces that some other group has defined: it's good etiquette to avoid using them with a meaning other than the meaning defined by the namespace's owner, but the XSLT processor won't complain if you do otherwise. The decision not to recognize http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-datatypes (let's call it xsdt:) was a deliberate one: there's a technical problem with the definition of this namespace in that xsdt:integer is a subtype of xs:integer, and xsdt:decimal is a subtype of xs:decimal, and therefore xsdt:integer is not a subtype of xsdt:decimal. Michael Kay