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Name space for XML Invoice Parser

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  Name space for XML Invoice Parser johannes@btw23.de (Johannes Grassler) - 2024-06-11 15:20 +0200
    Re: Name space for XML Invoice Parser johannes@btw23.de (Johannes Grassler) - 2024-06-11 17:01 +0200

#3400 — Name space for XML Invoice Parser

Hello,

I wrote a parser module for various XML based invoice formats, mainly
EN16931[0] ones, that turns them into Perl objects:

  https://github.com/jgrassler/XML-Invoice-Parser

I originally contributed this module to the ERP system Kivitendo[3].
Subsequently, I have been getting a bit tired of copying and pasting
the code from that module into various command line tools I've written
for personal use. Since others may also find it similarly useful, I'd
like to release it as a standalone module.

Now I've been pondering what name space to put it in. I've settled on
XML::Invoice::Parser for now since it's designed to be extensible to
cover other XML based invoice formats[2]. Also, the XML::Invoice
namespace can at a later stage be used for a generator module I am
toying with the idea of writing.

Does that sound sensible or does anyone have a better suggestion?

Cheers,

Johannes


Footnotes:

  [0] A EU standard that's either already law or being legislated
      as mandatory format for B2B invoices in EU member states.
  [1] https://github.com/kivitendo/kivitendo-erp/tree/master/SL/XMLInvoice
  [2] I am quite sure there is going to be no shortage of committees
      itching to come up with additional formats and new revisions in
      the foreseeable future.

-- 
                                         WWW: http://btw23.de/johannes/
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#3401

Hello,

Thanks for your response!

On Tue, Jun 11, 2024 at 03:28:58PM +0100, Neil Bowers wrote:
> I think the namespace XML::Invoice is fine.

Ok, that's a start.

> I thought it would be helpful to mention a namespace / permissions
> constraint you should be aware of, for CPAN.  I'm guessing that your
> parser produces objects that are instances of XML::Invoice?

Not quite. It produces instances of XML::Invoice::Parser because I may
add another package XML::Invoice::Generator in the future.

> I would call the CPAN distribution XML-Invoice, and assume it would
> contain at least two classes: XML::Invoice and XML::Invoice::Parser?

The top level class is XML::Invoice::Parser with various subclasses such
as XML::Invoice::Parser::CrossIndustryInvoice or
XML::Invoice::Parser::UBL. There is no XML::Invoice class right now.

> And a later release might also include XML::Invoice::Generator.

Yes.

> When you release something to CPAN (by uploading it to PAUSE), you
> must have a module with a name that corresponds to the distribution
> name.

Yes...right now I have a module XML::Invoice::Parser (residing in
lib/XML/Invoice/Parser.pm) in there. The distribution is called
XML-Invoice-Parser.

> So if you release a distribution XML-Invoice, it has to contain a
> module XML::Invoice, and either (a) there are currently no indexing
> permissions on XML:::Invoice (in which case you'll be granted the
> first-come indexing permission), or (b) you already have an indexing
> permission (either first-come or co-maint) on XML::Invoice.

So this is where I am probably running into the constraint you
mention:

> We occasionally see problems where someone releases a distribution
> with a name like Image-Formats which contains Image::Formats::PNG,
> Image::Formats::JPEG, etc, but no Image::Formats module.

I do indeed not have a lib/XML/Invoice.pm right now:

  https://github.com/jgrassler/XML-Invoice-Parser/tree/master/lib/XML/Invoice

> This constraint was added to PAUSE so that people couldn't jump in and
> snatch the first-come indexing permission on a module name that
> clearly should be associated with some existing module names.

...and this is kind of what I am planning on doing right now. So do you
think it would be ok to snatch the XML::Invoice name space with bare
lib/XML/Invoice.pm that merely declares the package XML::Invoice?

> The other option is that you could call your parser
> XML::InvoiceParser, and have XML::InvoiceParser::Invoice for the
> invoice objects. But I think that's clunky, and leaves XML::Invoice
> unclaimed, for someone else to bag.

Yeah, that's clunky indeed. I'd rather avoid that.

So just to make sure I understand: if I released the module as-is with
XML::Invoice::Parser being the top level module, I'd leave XML::Invoice
for someone else to bag, right?

Cheers,

Johannes

-- 
Phone:   +49 176 24 24 20 83             WWW: http://btw23.de/johannes/

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