Haskell xml-conduit without OverloadedStrings? -

every example have seen online of haskell's xml-conduit module uses overloadedstrings ghc extension (e.g. here). assume because text.xml.cursor.element function has type name -> axis. example, snippet not work without overloadedstrings:

{-# language overloadedstrings #-} import text.xml import text.xml.cursor import data.text (text) import data.text.read (decimal) import data.monoid (mconcat)  main :: io () main =     doc <- text.xml.readfile def "people2.xml"     let cursor = fromdocument doc     print $ cursor $// element "{http://example.com}person" >=> parseperson  data person = person int text         deriving show  parseperson :: cursor -> [person] parseperson c =     let name = c $/ element "{http://example.com}firstname" &/ content         agetext = c $/ element "{http://example.com}age" &/ content     case decimal $ mconcat agetext of         right (age, "") -> [person age $ mconcat name]         _ -> [] 

however, want write module more portable, i.e. without using extension. best way of doing this? doomed create text value each string data.text.pack , using text.xml.name data constructor before passing result element? or there easier way?

i'm afraid "easier way" -xoverloadedstrings. i'm afraid you're not going able meet portability goals while relying on xml-conduit, because makes liberal use of language extensions itself.

unless have specific alternative compiler targeting, might use -xoverloadedstrings, since xml-conduit explicitly designed support it.