Consider this textual delimited DFDL schema fragment:

<sequence dfdl:separator="/" dfdl:separatorPosition="prefix">
   <element name="a" type="xs:string"/>
   <choice dfdl:initiator="(" dfdl:terminator=")">
       <element name="foo" maxOcccurs="10" type="xs:int" dfdl:occursCountKind="parsed" dfdl:terminator=";"/>
       <element name="bar" type="xs:string" />
   </choice>
</sequence>

Is the separator of the enclosing sequence expected to appear before 'foo' and 'bar' elements inside the choice?

If you consider this data '/abc/(/1;/2;/3;/4;)' versus this data '/abc/(1;2;3;4;)'

We have to have the / after the abc to find the end of element 'a'. The choice's initiator won't be used as terminating markup.

However, then when we have instances of the children of the choice like 'foo' elements, do those have the prefix separator / inherited from the surrounding sequence outside the choice, or do they behave as if surrounded by an inner implied sequence which has no separator?

I'm convincing myself that the latter must be the interpretation, but I wanted to see what others think.

...mikeb

--
Mike Beckerle | OGF DFDL WG Co-Chair | Tresys Technologies
Tel: 781-330-0412