[xsd-users] RFC: Using XML and XSD as a replacement for GUI

[B Hart]

I've been pondering the appropriateness of using XML files for the
following related purposes:

1) Specifying the attributes/properties for creating class objects in a
program.
2) Specifying commands that control class objects construction, destruction
and behavior.
3) Receiving/reporting status information about the program, or program's
given objects and processes.

1 is simply configuration information that gets read in once and used.  2
and 3 are more interactive and require enumerating a folder and comparing
the XML file's modified date with the previous one.  If modified then
re-read the XML file, check for what has changed and react appropriately.

As long as the program to XML file interaction is not too fast I don't see
any reason not to use XML in this way. What is "too fast" depends on the
type of Hard Disk (or array of HDs) and the number of IO operations the HD
or array supports.

 I'm thinking that using XML files this way as perhaps preferable to
writing a GUI application to control a program's operations.  CodeSynthesis
XSD makes handling changes to the XML pretty easy, and I believe easier and
more organized/manageable than updating a GUI application.  The only caveat
I see is that writing the XML files needs to be synchronized.

Comments are very welcome.

Thanks.