Re: PEReferences in comments

John Cowan (cowan@locke.ccil.org)
Thu, 06 Aug 1998 16:38:21 -0400


Ron Bourret wrote:

> Are parameter entity references in comments in the external subset supposed to
> be expanded?

I think the answer to this question is of no direct interest, since
comments are freely discardable. However, it leads to the
question: is the sequence "%foo;" in a comment, where "foo" is not
a known parameter entity, an error? Clearly, I say, it is not an
error, but I cannot produce any warrant for this.

BTW, the Goldfarb/Prescod _XML Handbook_ claims that the string
"<!ENTITY" in the DTD cannot be replaced by a reference to an
(internal) PE, but fails to give a warrant for this claim either, since
declarations are not one of the things which clause 4.3.2 says
cannot be split between entities (perhaps by oversight?).

-- 
John Cowan	http://www.ccil.org/~cowan		cowan@ccil.org
	You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
	You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
		Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)