[ODE] GUI Editor, to XML or not?

[Jani Laakso]

My opinion for an export goes still for XML, if you know basics of XML 
(and XSL), you get things done very quickly. And in bonus, structures 
tend to be well defined even when things later grow more complex.

For developers this would mean that everyone can then use XSL (like 
xpath expressions) in any imaginable way to extract simulation parts or 
modify simulation data before inserting it to my application.

Here's couple important points more imho:

1. Integration to custom applications
-I would not like to construct totally custom parsers from ground up to 
read editor data into my application, I'd exploit existing XML tools 
here (XSL, DOM or even SAX).

2. Transforming
-I would not like to programmatically convert one simulation format to 
another, I'd use XSL here.
-Example, transform simulation X to simulation Y: increase all jeep cars 
geoms mass by %12 and extract only basic simulation parameters + jeep 
cars. I'd use XSL here than to create custom converters. Add lot's of 
custom examples here.

3. Debugging
-problems are easier to solve, xml is easier to comphrehend

This format is meant for developers on development stage, so it should 
be extensible and easy to use in all kind of situations. On production 
platforms one can convert XML files into developer's own custom format 
if needed.

A physics editor that is meant for constructing complex simulation 
setups for ODE, Novodex.., I'd go for XML when exporting / importing 
e.g. bodies definitions to / from a file. I do not know how similar 
these two are but there could be possibility to do one XML 
implementation for an physics editor and then use plain XSL to export 
simulation data to ODE, Novodex.. users. It might be that this is not 
suitable but author's of physics editors know this better than me.

The first impression for XML world can be quite disturbing, but once you 
get into it and know where it's suited best, you'll love it. Learning 
basic XML and XSL (+XSLT) is simple.

Summary, there exists this XML/XSL and bunch of other tools for various 
platforms, let's exploit them :)


Comments are welcomed, Jani.

-- 
Jani Laakso / IT Mill Ltd | Tel. +358 40 5898086 | http://www.itmill.com