2011/12 ILR – Discussion Area

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• Ampersand in optional fields? (3 posts)

• Stephen Paine said 10 months, 3 weeks ago:

  As a provider we use ILR field A48 to help us analyse our LR returns.

  The new format seems to have replaced that with an element 'ProvSpecLearnDelMon' which I presume we will need to use instead.

  If I understand XML, it doesn't allow for the use of the ampersand ('&')? We use this as part of our analysis – is the system smart enough to allow us to continue using '&', or will we need to switch to & amp ; (without the spaces!) in this field?

  Thanks in anticipation,

  Steve

• keithd said 10 months, 3 weeks ago:

  Steve,
  We too use A48 to assist – my understanding is that it is just a change as a direct result of XML implementation.

  Re the use of '&', you could refer to section "6 – Text" in "http://www.xmlnews.org/docs/xml-basics.html" – it looks like you'll have to use '&amp' – god help those providers who have students who may have names with an 'e-acute' symbol – their MIS systems are going to have to some heavy duty multi-byte escape sequence coding!
  Keith

• Stephen Paine said 10 months, 3 weeks ago:

  That would be us! I hadn't even considered the problem of using é.

  I've bought myself 'Learn XML in 24 hours' and 'Learn SQL in 24 hours' – let's hope they give me the background I need!