Comments on: My Favorite Thing About Flash Moving To an XML Format (XFL)? Let Me Count the Ways…. http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/ Design, Development, Technology and My Life. Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:30:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: John Dowdell http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/comment-page-1/#comment-25738 John Dowdell Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:31:57 +0000 http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/#comment-25738 <em>"Though not 100% official...."</em> Yes, you're right, sorry about that. Richard has a blog, as well as the DevNet publishing system, and I'm not sure why a significant feature change appeared first in a non-staff blog. (John Nack is in a different product group within the same business unit.) I can't say anything until the relevant stakeholder within Adobe actually goes on the record. It's a convoluted presentation right now. jd/adobe “Though not 100% official….”

Yes, you’re right, sorry about that. Richard has a blog, as well as the DevNet publishing system, and I’m not sure why a significant feature change appeared first in a non-staff blog. (John Nack is in a different product group within the same business unit.)

I can’t say anything until the relevant stakeholder within Adobe actually goes on the record. It’s a convoluted presentation right now.

jd/adobe

]]> By: Keith Peters http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/comment-page-1/#comment-25731 Keith Peters Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:30:29 +0000 http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/#comment-25731 As I understand it, you'll have a choice between straight xml or a zip file format. If formatted correctly, and consistently, I don't see why it would be hard to diff. As I understand it, you’ll have a choice between straight xml or a zip file format. If formatted correctly, and consistently, I don’t see why it would be hard to diff.

]]> By: Theo http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/comment-page-1/#comment-25730 Theo Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:25:06 +0000 http://visualrinse.com/2008/03/12/my-favorite-thing-about-flash-moving-to-an-xml-format-xfl-let-me-count-the-ways/#comment-25730 Although I agree with you that moving to an XML-based file format is a really good thing, I think that you will be disappointed when it finally arrives. As far as I have understood it the file format will actually be a zip archive containing an XML and pictures etc. so Subversion will still have no idea how to diff it. And looking at Apple's applications, most of which use a file format that is similar to what XFL seems to be except that they are not zip archives but folders, I would say that being able to diff things would be very unlikely. XML is quite undiff'able to start with, and when it comes to XML generated by applications it gets really ugly. Since diff works on lines and XML doesn't care about lines but hierarchy, you have to be lucky, or hand code your XML to even be able to use diff. MXML usually works fine when diff'ing because the hierarchy is simple, and things tend to change within the same hierarchial level. That aside, I wholeheartedly agree that XFL seems to be a really good thing, just being able (as Moock mentions in his post) to unzip the file, change the images and re-zip it without even opening the Flash behemoth would be great. Although I agree with you that moving to an XML-based file format is a really good thing, I think that you will be disappointed when it finally arrives. As far as I have understood it the file format will actually be a zip archive containing an XML and pictures etc. so Subversion will still have no idea how to diff it.

And looking at Apple’s applications, most of which use a file format that is similar to what XFL seems to be except that they are not zip archives but folders, I would say that being able to diff things would be very unlikely. XML is quite undiff’able to start with, and when it comes to XML generated by applications it gets really ugly. Since diff works on lines and XML doesn’t care about lines but hierarchy, you have to be lucky, or hand code your XML to even be able to use diff.

MXML usually works fine when diff’ing because the hierarchy is simple, and things tend to change within the same hierarchial level.

That aside, I wholeheartedly agree that XFL seems to be a really good thing, just being able (as Moock mentions in his post) to unzip the file, change the images and re-zip it without even opening the Flash behemoth would be great.

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