Topic: inspecific tag names

I was working on my huge "SQL through php to make XML eaten by Flash and I win pretty interface" project. Or "Hyper Interface" for short. It's a maddening process indeed. So here I am in the good ol' asylum, driven crazy once again. I know I've asked a few of you about this before. I don't remember who sent me the php script last time. DL-44 if I'm guessing right. ANYWAYS, this is what happened:
http://home.osysi.net/editor.php (don't go crazy...)
http://home.osysi.net/parser4.php

Bit of explanation: it's like a tree. The result in flash will be a sort of web. buttons will sprawl out from the root. Click one, it moves to the center. It's respected root links (or 'folders') are then released -- sort of the same way that you can get through The Visual Thesaurus. Also look at Yugop's site Click the left-most or first radio button at the bottom.


(note that this image shows SQL tables and XML output that are totally inaccurate to the current version)

So, that's what I did. The <blob> tag is used for everything, but the attributes inside are very detailed. After I started trying to figure out how to get the XML in to flash (yeah, i relized that i might be working this in the wrong direction) I noticed it's not very pretty. arrays have to be set up, and it'l be looking for specific tag names inside other defined tag names. It's all very concrete before it even starts entering data. My data is very expansive, which is why I decided to sue the same tag for everything. I don't know how else to do it when the possibilities are so... unpredictable.

So here's my question(s):
1. If you've ever worked with XML in flash, I hear that it's good to keep things in attributes instead of tags inside tags. I did that. But what about using the same tag for everything like <data> which is vague, or in my case, <blob>?
2. How much could a woodcheck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck would?
3. Green is written in red, so which one do you read with which side of your brain?
4. True or false. A man offered to call you up on the tellephone and make monkey sounds. The offer was auctioned on ebay for over a hundred dollars.

[edit]typos. extra notes. formatting errors.. blah[/edit]

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

[This message has been edited by Bmud (edited 01-15-2004).]

1. I've no idea, never used Flash+XMl before. But from another point of view I would think that using specific tags would be better, since it would make the XML document easier to read and understand
2. He would chuck as as much wood as a woodchuck could, if a woodchuck could chuck wood
3. Green is read by the logic part of the brain (right hand side I think), Red is read by the other part
4. Probably true, don't see any reason why it shouldn't be true

Hope the answers was of some help

_________________________
"There are 10 kinds of people; those who know binary, those who don't and those who start counting at zero"
- the Golden Ratio -

There go my typos destoying the information again. They were monkey sounds. He made monkey sounds. like.. "ooh ooh ah ah!"

[edit] typos.. =( [/edit]

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

[This message has been edited by Bmud (edited 01-15-2004).]

If I understand correctly you only really have one question - should you use generic tags?

It would depend on your parser and how you are planning on using the information - you know your data and the uses better than we do so you are the best person to judge this. Its not a bad solution and may be the ideal one in these circumstances although you might want to make sure your data is more standardised so it fits into the XML better but again you know things better than I do.

Basically if its not for other devices to consume then you can do what makes your life easiest.

___________________
Emps

The Emperor dot org

Well put. Thanks.
I know -- that was a lot of excess reading. =) Veneficuz actually got all the answers right to the extraneous questions. well.. while he(or she) thought i said "money sounds". All in fun.

So here's the real big question: What's a good place start learning xmlparsing within Flash. I've got a tutorial in Flash 5 Magic with actionscript but it's very very long and I think it expects me to understand a lot of odd-looking code that may be coevered in previous chapters. The entire book is actually pretty intimidating. Anyways.. know some links or other books I should look out for?
http://www.studiowhiz.com/tutorials/24/
here's a start it seems. I shall return with a verdict some time on tuesday I believe. Wish me luck.

Shine and shine. :: [Cell=992] :: [See my team's 30 second animation]

Bmud:

quote:

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What's a good place start learning xmlparsing within Flash.

---

Although my adventures with Flash have hardly started (I rely on Steve's genius to do the Flash work with my XML - although soon...........) I have found this book very useful:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/067232315X/rwi-20/

I'll also be trying to lean on Steve at some point to provide an XML in Flash tutorial (I think we kicked a few ideas around a while ago so..).

___________________
Emps

The Emperor dot org