Differences between XForms 1.0 and 1.1

This list reflects the differences between the Rec version of XForms 1.0 and the last call version of XForms 1.1, and only feature a high-level view of the differences.

Many of the changes only effect minor details about the processing model (such as clarifications).

Most of the changes are additions and simplifications, though control of submission has greatly improved.

Model and instance

New version attribute: <model version="1.1">...

New resource attribute: <instance resource="...">

New Datatypes

• xforms:email
• xforms:ID-card-number

  For credit cards and other ID cards

• Also-Empty datatypes

  The existing datatypes like xsd:integer all had to be non-empty. This meant empty fields were always invalid, even if they weren't required. The new datatypes may all also be empty to get over this problem.

<bind nodeset="q" required="true()" type="xsd:integer"/>

is now

<bind nodeset="q" required="true()" type="xforms:integer"/>

Submission

The first submission element is now the default, so if you only have one submission a submit control doesn't need to specify it.

Submission: attributes

To control submission more, the <submission> element now has a number of new attributes and child elements.

Attributes:

• resource: same as action (see element)
• mode (asynch, synch): asyncronous or synchronous submission. Asynchronous is default.
• method="delete": supports http DELETE method.
• verb: overrides the method attribute
• serialize: whether data is to be sent with the submission
• validate: whether to validate the data (for instance for save to file)
• relevant: whether to prune non-relevant data
• replace="text": accept text results, and replacing parts of instance
• target: used with replace="text"

Submission: elements

• resource

  Allows you to get submission URI from an instance. Overrides the action attribute.

• verb

  Likewise allows you to specify the method in an instance.

• header

  Allows you to add headers to the submission

Submission for Soap

Better support for soap submission

Events

New events:

• xforms-submit-serialize
• xforms-version-exception
• xforms-output-error

New Functions

• number power(number, number): x^y
• boolean luhn(string?): checks credit card number is valid
• number random(boolean?): generates a random number between 0 and 1.
• string days-to-date(number)
• string seconds-to-dateTime(number)
• string local-date()
• string local-dateTime()

Encoding and decoding functions

• string encode(string, string?): encode string as base64 (default) or hex
• string decode(string, string?): decodes
• string digest(string, string, string?): for passwords etc.

  md5, sha1, sha256, sha384, sha512

• string hmac(string, string, string, string?): for passwords etc.

Control functions

• node-set current(): resets the context in an XPath expression
• object choose(boolean, object, object): a version of if() but then returning objects, not strings
• node-set id(object, node-set?): the elements in an instance with chosen ids.
• object event(string): The details of an event.
• string property(string): "version" (=1.1) and "conformance-level" = (full, basic, etc)

Controls

• Output mediatype: for outputting more than text.
• <submit>, <trigger>+appearance
• case+action child
• toggle+case child
• repeat+switch child

Actions: insert and delete

insert action improved

delete action improved

Conditional and repeated actions

<delete if="XPath Expression" .../>

<delete while="XPath Expression" .../>

On all actions

New attribute on dispatch action

<dispatch delay="1000" ... /> allows polling.

Additions to actions

dispatch+name child element

dispatch+target child element

dispatch+delay child element

setfocus+control child element

load+resource child