[x3d-public] Request for X3D encoding comment output from X3DPSAIL

[John Carlson]

Thanks, it wasn’t clear to me that multi-line comments were not supported
in X3D XML encoding.  That clears up most of my questions!

I will replace multi-line comments with single-line comments in my
examples.   Does X3D-Edit support this feature?  This would be great, and
encourage me to use it!

John

On Sun, Jan 4, 2026 at 2:46 PM Don Brutzman <don.brutzman at gmail.com> wrote:

> For clarity, here is a recap of key points that can be found in prior
> responses and ticket issues:
>
>    - Persistent single-line comments are an important feature for X3D
>    model conversions and interoperability.
>    - You are welcome to use all Python features, including multi-line
>    comments, whenever programming with Python and x3d.py.
>    - Individual multi-line comments are not supported in a number of file
>    encodings and programming languages.  Nor are they defined by X3D
>    Architecture, nor are they supported by several X3D encodings (such as XML
>    and ClassicVRML).  Thus multi-line comments are not a required feature.
>    - Persistent comments in x3d.py Python are already supported via a
>    Comment class.
>    - Persistent single-line comments are now partially supported by
>    X3dToPython.xslt converter, if present as children of Scene head and
>    grouping nodes.  Further future work on content-model representations in
>    the Python class hierarchy may be able to add them elsewhere (e.g. inside
>    Shape Appearance Material geometry etc.
>    - Tickets are closed after careful review if they are unrepeatable or
>    unactionable.  Suggestions and questions about a clearer ticket are usually
>    included.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> all the best, Don
> --
> X3D Graphics, Maritime Robotics, Distributed Simulation
> Relative Motion Consulting  https://RelativeMotion.info
>
>
> On Sun, Jan 4, 2026 at 5:57 AM John Carlson <yottzumm at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Blowing off some steam.  Apologies, I probably should work out instead.
>>
>> I am unsure if it’s easier to output straight line code instead of
>> hierarchical code in Python; multi-line non-persistent comments might
>> become easier in straight line code.  I don’t know about comments() in
>> XSLT.  In straight line code, wrapping a multi or single line comment in
>> “””…””” is a cinch.  Even if newlines need to be added for the Python
>> interpreter.
>> AFAIK, I’ve already mentioned that straight line code is easier to debug,
>> in my mind.  I think the Java large file discussion is still open; I
>> know hierarchical code is more succinct, and less likely to stack
>> overflow.  I think the choices between code structure in Python and Java
>> might be different.
>>
>> Persistent multi-line comments are desirable, even if they aren’t present
>> in the archive.  We will probably make different choices between
>> hierarchical and straight line code when this feature is available.
>>
>> Short term hacks like single line comments work until features are
>> introduced.  That doesn’t mean tickets should be closed prematurely, or
>> examples outside the archives are invalid.
>>
>> John
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 30, 2025 at 3:42 AM John Carlson <yottzumm at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Don, thanks for your comment on this ticket that naively adding Comment
>>> to a children field might not work.  That was one of my intentions on
>>> expressing myself so vocally.  I apologize for using your time to do this,
>>> but I think it revealed a possible design consideration.  I think if I had
>>> discovered it, it would have gone over like a wet balloon.
>>>
>>> Thank you again, I will not put comments arbitrarily in the scenegraph
>>> for now with my PythonSerializer.js, until you indicate it’s ready!   I
>>> will leave them out of the scenegraph, as they are now.   Since I handle
>>> comments generically, I will have to research the nodes you’ve accomplished.
>>>
>>> Now, can we have other multi-line comments, not in the persistent
>>> scenegraph, in Python translated from .x3d, in the short term, like:
>>>
>>> #
>>> # This is comment line 2
>>> # This is comment line 3
>>> #
>>>
>>> ?
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>> From the ticket:
>>>
>>> “
>>>
>>> This is not an easy fix for converting files because Comment is not part
>>> of the content model for all nodes. Solving this will probably require
>>> extending class _ X3DNode in x3d.py and sorting out possible subclass
>>> collisions. It will also be difficult to retain the original order of child
>>> nodes and child comments within a parent node.
>>>
>>> This might be fixable someday - after some effort I got it working for
>>> head, Scene, field, fieldValue.. Deferred as future work.
>>>  ”
>>>
>>> On Mon, Dec 29, 2025 at 12:52 PM Don Brutzman <don.brutzman at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I have posted a new ticket to capture this point.  Perhaps a useful
>>>> exemplar, as well.
>>>>
>>>>    - X3D SourceForge ticket #82 creating persistent comments in python
>>>>    when converting from XML
>>>>    - https://sourceforge.net/p/x3d/tickets/82/
>>>>
>>>> Hope this helps.  Again thanks for your many efforts.  Have fun
>>>> improving X3D!  🤔 👍
>>>>
>>>>>
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