The XForms
Data Model specification contains a proposal for
describing the structure of data in order for it to be
edited with a web form.
The new draft is part of the W3C's XForms activity,
which is aimed at creating the standard for the next
generation of web forms. The data model specification allows
the separation of the description of the data model from the
description of the actual form UI itself, providing some
device independence.
In essence, the XForms Data Model draft presents a very
simple schema language for describing an XML document in
order that a web form can edit it.
The authors of the new specification are aiming to keep a
close link between the datatypes used in XForms and those in
XML Schemas.
Related story: New forms model
requirements refined.