[Os-project-managers] Equal or equivalent?

[Gus Gassmann]

On 26 Jan 2011 at 14:48, Kipp Martin wrote:

> Hi Gus:
> 
> Since we are meeting tomorrow we can hash this together, but a few thoughts.
> 
> Given
> 
> <variables>
>       <initVariableValues numberOfVar="0"/>
> </variables>
> 
> why is it necessary to instantiate an initVariableValues object?  I 
> assume you do this because as soon as the parser sees <initVariableValues
> 
> it automatically instantiates an object in this class? Is this case? 

Yes, this is the case. I guess I can move the 'new' command in the parser to 
a point where we know that numberOfVar is greater than 0. This is a good 
point. I had not thought of it.

> Is 
> there something logically wrong with the member
> 
> initVariableValues
> 
> being null if numberOfVar="0"?

I can't see it. In fact, as I said in my original message I consider the two 
versions to be functionally equivalent, and it is clear that in version 2 
initVariableValues will be NULL. It therefore seems OK to make/keep it NULL 
when reading version 1 also.
 
> If we change the schema so that <initVariableValues>  is
> only present when numberOfVar is strictly positive or we introducing an 
> inconsistency with some part of some other schema?

Not if we do it everywhere there is a numberOf... that is equal to zero. But the 
point is well taken: This restriction is not backwards compatible. I did not 
really think we should go with that particular approach and onl ymentioned it 
to be complete.

Cheers

gus