Pull-Parser Based Decode Functions

---

An XML pull-parser works by allowing a user to "pull" selected events from an XML stream as it is parsed. This differs from the SAX model which is sometimes referred to as a "push" parser because event callbacks are executed (pushed) as the stream is parsed. The pull model offers significant advantages for a data binding type application because it is easier to maintain state between operations. This results in less required code to do the decoding which in turn leads to improved performance. It is also conceptually easier to understand because the function call model more closely approximates the model used for encoding.