The grammatical approach: A syntax-directed declarative specification method for XML processing tasks

This paper describes the grammatical approach, an approach to the specification of XML processing tasks based on attribute grammars. This approach describes how to provide task-specific context-free grammars for XML documents, as well as how to decompose complex processing tasks into simpler ones with attribute-grammar fragments. The result is a high-level, syntax-directed declarative specification for the processing of XML documents, which facilitates the development and maintenance of complex XML processing applications while preserving the flexibility of general-purpose XML processing models. The grammatical approach is illustrated using Chasqui, an e-learning platform for building educational digital libraries of learning objects.

► The grammatical approach: an XML processing model based on attribute grammars. ► Case study: constraint checking in a repository of learning objects. ► Implementation: the XLOP system. ► Main features: conciseness, modularity and easiness of use. ► Performance: comparable to hand-coded implementations.