Raw

mnot suggests an analogy to using constructions like <elem ref="data:myInteger"/>

Putting QNames into your XML content is like using TCP packets as delimiters in an application protocol.

I've actually become quite a fan of QNames for elements and attributes, but reckon using them in content could get messy. The TAG finding on this acknowledges that people are already using QNames in content (e.g. in XSLT), their recommendation being :

OK, do it if you must, but wash your hands afterwards.

mnot's pointing in the right direction, it is a tangling of layers, but I think his title was snappier: QNames are Evil

[Danny Ayers]