Re: [Jsynthlib-devel] Re: patchlib file format (was JSL 1.0 and 2.0)

[Bill Z. <wrz...@po...>]

> Then you either force all of the editor authors to also write XML 
> methods (and risking bugs each time), or you let some drivers save 
> their patches in binary format while others save in parameter format.

That's what I said.  By default, all drivers save as hex.  This would be 
built into JSL so that all drivers get it for free.  If someone 
specifically wants readable XML, then they code a driver to return 
Element[] instead of byte[].

Of course, I don't see any use for this either, but making it available 
would be easy.

> Why not just let the XML routines get a list of an editor's 
> ParamModels? It should be able to learn everything it needs from that 
> in order to generate the XML.  Keep in mind that one possible problem 
> with not storing the original sysex data is that some parts of a sysex 
> dump aren't spec'd and can't be changed. 

Can ParamModels be grouped or nested?  Otherwise the XML output would be 
a flat list of key-value pairs, which is perfectly reasonable.  Perhaps 
there needs to be a higher level element that describes a "blank" sysex 
with these unchangable bits filled in.  Or alternately, a constant, 
non-editable ParamModel that provides these bytes.

> Overall, I see this as being of marginal value. What's the point of 
> editing the XML by hand? 

*The* point of XML is data exchange and (to a lesser degree) 
hand-editing.  If we don't need either feature, then why do we need to 
change the save format at all?

-Bill