Re: Some suggestions for the SOAP api

Gmail Directeur wrote:

i.e. use two children <m:feedback> and <m:explanation-content>
Instead of the <p class="helpwanted"> and <div class="ve mid-344">

This, IMHO, is better for a SOAP consumer, since it avoids
all pre-formating. and it separates "semantically" two things:
the real explanation and the feedback link.

Sounds like we're on the same page here -- looks like we both posted the same solution.  

Now that I've thought about it more, here's my refined variation on this same theme:

<m:markupvalidationresponse ...
    ...
    <m:errors>
        <m:errorcount>1</m:errorcount>
        <m:errorlist>
            <m:error>
                ...
                <m:explanation>
                   CDATA as currently (for backwards compatibility)
                </m:explanation>

                <m:explanationfeebacklink>
                   CDATA with <p class="helpwanted">...</p>
                </m:explanationfeebacklink>

                <m:explanationcontenthtml>
                   CDATA with <div class="ve mid-344">...</div>
                </m:explanationfeebackhtml>

                <m:explanationfeebackuri>
                   http://validator.w3.org/feedback.html?uri=;
                   errmsg_id=344#errormsg
                </m:explanationfeebackurl>

                <m:explanationcontenttext>
                   <m:explanationparagraphtext>
                      Plain text paragraph (probably fancy tag strip
                      and parse of m:explanationcontenthtml)
                   </m:explanationparagraphtext>

                   <m:explanationparagraphtext>
                      2nd plain text paragraph (probably fancy tag
                      strip and parse of m:explanationcontenthtml)
                   <m:explanationparagraphtext>

                </m:explanationfeebackhtml>
            ...

It's a bit elaborate and it does increase the size of the response (though nowhere near the file size of the HTML output version).  But this way:
  * Backwards compatibility is ensured (if you think that matters --
     otherwise, deprecate this one).
  * Raw text messages and the link url for helpwanted are available
     for those that just want raw data.
  * HTML versions of just the helpwanted and content are separately
     available for those that want to keep all the markup within the
     messages.


-Chris