RE: XPATH query Take 2

[David RR Webber <Gnosis_@compuserve.com>]

Message text written by INTERNET:matt@xmlglobal.com
> 
The work done in LDAP is certainly interesting, but what about something
like QUILT.  AFAICS, QUILT uses XPath-like syntax which is useful on the
document level context while adding functionality to bring it into the same
space as SQL.

JP: When you say "root context" what do you mean exactly?

Cheers,
Matt
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Matt,

The problem is that QUILT is right at this precise second something
we cannot comment on.

But since the W3C is actively working XML Query - and we anticipate
results, certainly by Vienna, it is prudent to not box ourselves in.

So we have only XPath which is official. As an initial base to work
from I really don't see any alternates.

My offer (similar to Len's) of a simple query semantic based on 
parameters and XML was pooh-poohed as inventing a new
query language (which it was not).   Rather a set of commonly
used parameters to enable simplified access - regardless of
the underlying query language on the backend.  This stuff is
not rocket science - its just boolean logic expressed in 
English keywords with XML tag targets.  I've built a couple of
these already - the last one was for users at the Smithsonian
to run magazine and photograph searches by clicking on 
checkboxes and typing in search values to generate an
iterative list of search terms.

Anyway - so that's why it looks like the only option is XPath - 
which is a lot more complicated than what I saw as needed
first pass here.

DW.