Processing Learning Objects with Attribute Grammars

The services provided by learning object repositories are usually enabled by the processing of the metadata documents associated with these learning objects. This paper proposes a way to process these metadata documents, which are usually encoded in XML, through a framework called XLOP. XLOP is based on attribute grammars, a well-known technique used in the development of language processors. XLOP makes the automatic generation of efficient XML processing components from high-level specifications possible, enhancing the maintainability of the aforementioned services. The technique is illustrated in the context of Chasqui, a system for building repositories of learning objects in specialized domains.