It only controls text output.  It's in section 13.2 Properties Common to All Simple Types with Text representation.

Regards

Steve Hanson
Architect, Data Format Description Language (DFDL)
Co-Chair, OGF DFDL Working Group
IBM SWG, Hursley, UK
smh@uk.ibm.com
tel:+44-1962-815848



From:        Tim Kimber/UK/IBM@IBMGB
To:        dfdl-wg@ogf.org,
Date:        14/02/2013 11:11
Subject:        Re: [DFDL-WG] dfdl:textOutputMinLength
Sent by:        dfdl-wg-bounces@ogf.org



The property name is 'textOutputMinLength'. I'm wondering why it controls anything other than text output.

regards,

Tim Kimber, DFDL Team,
Hursley, UK
Internet:  kimbert@uk.ibm.com
Tel. 01962-816742  
Internal tel. 37246742




From:        Steve Hanson/UK/IBM@IBMGB
To:        dfdl-wg@ogf.org,
Date:        14/02/2013 10:41
Subject:        [DFDL-WG] dfdl:textOutputMinLength
Sent by:        dfdl-wg-bounces@ogf.org



Here's the description for this property from the spec, including a change for errata 2.100. I am concerned about the red sentence about length units.
textOutputMinLength Non-negative Integer.  

Only used when dfdl:textPadKind is 'padChar' and dfdl:lengthKind is 'delimited', 'prefixed', 'pattern' or 'endOfParent' or 'explicit' and dfdl:length is an expression, and type is not xs:string

Specifies the minimum representation length during unparsing for simple types that do not allow the xs:minlength facet to be specified. The units are specified by the dfdl:lengthUnits property.
If dfdl:textOutputMinLength is zero or less than the length of the representation text then no padding occurs.

Annotation: dfdl:element, dfdl:simpleType



However, when parsing, dfdl:lengthUnits is only used for a 'specified length' so that's dfdl:lengthKind 'explicit', 'implicit' and 'prefixed'. When 'delimited', 'pattern' or 'endOfParent' dfdl:lengthUnits is not used. I think we should be saying:

"For dfdl:lengthKind 'delimited', 'pattern' and 'endOfParent' the length units are characters. For other dfdl:lengthKinds the length units are specified by the dfdl:lengthUnits property."


Same argument applies to XSD minLength facet for xs:strings.

Regards

Steve Hanson
Architect, Data Format Description Language (DFDL)
Co-Chair, OGF DFDL Working Group
IBM SWG, Hursley, UK
smh@uk.ibm.com
tel:+44-1962-815848
Unless stated otherwise above:
IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number 741598.
Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU--
dfdl-wg mailing list
dfdl-wg@ogf.org
https://www.ogf.org/mailman/listinfo/dfdl-wg

Unless stated otherwise above:
IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number 741598.
Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU--
 dfdl-wg mailing list
 dfdl-wg@ogf.org
 https://www.ogf.org/mailman/listinfo/dfdl-wg

Unless stated otherwise above:
IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number 741598.
Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU