Alexander has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Alright, take #2...

The name XML::UPS was not liked and more than one reply said I should try writing a module myself. I think a module would be great, but my question was to anyone who might have prior experience using Perl to interface with the XML query servers of the United Postal Service.

I will admit, the notion of writing such a module myself has a definate appeal. It would be a heck of a learning experience. But I am only now trying to grasp use strict; and use Module::Name;, I am unfamiliar with XML, and know nothing about what goes into writing a module. I would hate to pollute the greater Perl community with insecure and/or buggy code.

That said, what do the Monks think? Should a lowly initiate such as myself dare to undertake such an ambitious quest?

As for the module name XML::UPS, ok, so you didn't like it and thought Business::UPS::XML would be better. I was not invested in the name. It seemed a decent enough title for my post. Giving the name further consideration, I might instead suggest a name such as Business::XML::UPS which would allow for a nice use of Module Namespace hierarchy allowing for future modules writen for FedEx, USPS, etc to be substituted for the UPS portion. As there seems to be a trend towards utilizing XML as a Peer to Peer Data Interchange medium, it might be a good fit.

Are there any XML gurus who could advise me on XML and on XML modules? UPS uses a very specific XML format and must be queried with a specific XML format. Are there any modules which can be made to conform to user defined specifications?

edited: Sun May 4 16:13:32 2003 by jeffa - title change (was: XML & United Postal Service)

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: XML & United Parcel Service
by Zaxo (Archbishop) on May 03, 2003 at 19:29 UTC

    Try XML::Simple on it and see what you get. This may be easier than you think. By all means give it a try, you'll improve your skills with it.

    After Compline,
    Zaxo

Re: XML & United Parcel Service
by sutch (Curate) on May 03, 2003 at 18:43 UTC
    I think that you mean United Parcel Service, not the United States Postal Service.
      I stand corrected. I meant the United Parcel Service.
Re: XML & United Parcel Service
by diotalevi (Canon) on May 03, 2003 at 18:53 UTC

    Who is being discussed? The US postal system or the private company UPS? Personally, I do a lot of non-profit and political work that has nothing to do with business that interfaces with USPS data and it'd be sorry to miscategorize a USPS interface as a "business" thing.

      I am sorry for causing confusion. I had meant to say United Parcel Service (The commercial carrier). Your perspective concerning not-for-profit is valid and duely noted.

      I would like to know more about your experiences interfacing with the United States Postal Service (Federal). They are also on my list of interfaces to look into.

        Actually - my "interactions" are few and far between. Mostly I just parse addresses so I can cross reference people from multiple databases. Some other people have said they'd start working with the USPS's SOAP interface but I haven't seen that materialize yet.

Re: XML & United Parcel Service
by danb (Friar) on Jun 19, 2003 at 23:39 UTC