New XML file format for QOF?

[Neil Williams]

When I started on this Palm->Invoice saga, the use of an XML interchange file 
format was discussed. After looking at the current format, I am having to 
discount the hierarchy based on AccountGroup because it cannot be easily 
written by non-GnuCash applications - which may not have any explicit object 
hierarchy in their QOF objects.

It will mean writing a new format and handlers for backend/file but I'm up for 
that.

The main difference is that I would like to use the XML for data interchange 
between QOF applications and to make the format more like a simple bag than a 
tree:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<qof-bag-v1>
<qof:count-data cd:type="book">1</qof:count-data>
<qof:book version="1.0.0">
 <book:id type="guid">c0dd5ca1b11338f3ceae57f6e0106d75</book:id>
 <qof:count-data cd:type="qof-expenses">1</qof:count-data>
 <qof:object version="1.0.0" type="qof-expenses">
  <obj:desc type="qof-expenses">Pilot-link QOF expenses</obj:desc>
  <obj:id type="guid">c9c3c49db198b3b87e8d513e618f9078</obj:id>
  <obj:date type="expense_date">1099016941</obj:date>
  <obj:int32 type="type_of_expense">7</obj:int32>
  <obj:int32 type="form_of_payment">2</obj:int32>
  <obj:int32 type="currency_code">1</obj:int32>
  <obj:int32 type="expense_amount">32</obj:int32>
  <obj:int64/>
  <obj:boolean/>
  <obj:string type="expense_vendor">Company Name</obj:string>
  <obj:string type="expense_city">City Name</obj:string>
  <obj:string type="expense_attendees">Names</obj:string>
  <obj:string type="expense_note">Any string content</obj:string>
  <obj:gnc_numeric>
   <obj:gnc_numeric_enum/>
   <obj:gnc_numeric_denom/>
  </obj:gnc_numeric>
 </qof:object>
</qof:book>
</qof-bag-v1>

This way, the XML can hold any compatible QOF data.

I'm still working on the map to convert one to another.

-- 

Neil Williams
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