Re: file as a directory

[Horst von Brand <vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl>]

Peter Foldiak <Peter.Foldiak@st-andrews.ac.uk> said:
> Horst von Brand wrote:
> >Now think about files with other formats, for instance the (in)famous
> >sendmail.cf, or less structured stuff like you find in /etc/init.d/, or
> >just Postgres databases (with fun stuff like permissions on records and
> >fields)... or just people groping in /etc/passwd wanting to find the whole
> >entry (not just one field), or perhaps look at the 15th character of the
> >entry for John Doe.

> >This way lies utter madness (what format description should be applied to
> >what file this time around?). Plus shove all this garbage into the kernel?!

> I was suggesting this idea mainly form XML files, where the tags define 
> the parts clearly.

Use a XML parsing library then.

> In addition, I was suggesting that some of the XPath syntax (normally 
> used for within-XML selection) could be extended above the file level 
> into the file system.

Urgh.

> The problems you mention are all related to non-XML file format issues, 

Most (say 99,95%) files aren't XML; and if they are, the requisite parsing
is probably on hand already, so...

> which was only a minor comment in parenthesis in my original mail. I am 
> happy to do it only for XML to begin with (and if possible later see if 
> it can be done for SOME non-XML formats).

Please don't.
-- 
Dr. Horst H. von Brand                   User #22616 counter.li.org
Departamento de Informatica                     Fono: +56 32 654431
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