[DFDL-WG] Question on nilValueDelimiterPolicy

[Steve Hanson]

For call today.

Regards

Steve Hanson
Architect, Data Format Description Language (DFDL)
Co-Chair, OGF DFDL Working Group
IBM SWG, Hursley, UK
smh at uk.ibm.com
tel:+44-1962-815848
----- Forwarded by Steve Hanson/UK/IBM on 08/11/2011 09:20 -----

From:
Steve Hanson/UK/IBM
To:
Tim Kimber/UK/IBM at IBMGB
Cc:
Mike Beckerle <mbeckerle.dfdl at gmail.com>
Date:
07/11/2011 09:50
Subject:
Re: question on nilValueDelimiterPolicy


I'll add to the agenda for DFDL WG call.

Regards

Steve Hanson
Architect, Data Format Description Language (DFDL)
Co-Chair, OGF DFDL Working Group
IBM SWG, Hursley, UK
smh at uk.ibm.com
tel:+44-1962-815848



From:
Tim Kimber/UK/IBM
To:
Mike Beckerle <mbeckerle.dfdl at gmail.com>
Cc:
Steve Hanson/UK/IBM at IBMGB
Date:
04/11/2011 22:57
Subject:
Re: question on nilValueDelimiterPolicy


Mike,

I agree - I've raised this point before. I have always felt that 
nilValueDelimiterPolicy should not apply to nilLogicalValue ( regardless 
of whether the type is xs:string ). The existing definition makes life 
very hard for implementers, and does not solve any pressing problems as 
far as I can see.

regards,

Tim Kimber, Common Transformation Team,
Hursley, UK
Internet:  kimbert at uk.ibm.com
Tel. 01962-816742 
Internal tel. 246742





From:   Mike Beckerle <mbeckerle.dfdl at gmail.com>
To:     Steve Hanson/UK/IBM at IBMGB, Tim Kimber/UK/IBM at IBMGB
Date:   04/11/2011 18:34
Subject:        question on nilValueDelimiterPolicy




Suppose 

<sequence separator=",">
<element name="x" type="int" nillable="true" dfdl:initiator="x:" 
dfdl:terminator=";" 
  dfdl:nilKind="logicalValue" dfdl:nilValue="-1" maxOccurs="3"/> 
              
</sequence>


Now, if nilValueDelimiterPolicy="none", then some non-nils for this would 
be:

  [x:42;,x:3;,x:0;]

A nil for the middle one would be 

  [x:42;,-1,x:0;]

Does this feel broken to you? I.e., it seems very wierd to have a 
nilKind="logicalValue", but use different initiator/terminator 
conventions.

Now if type="string", or if type is not string, but 
nilKind="literalValue", then having different initiator/terminator 
conventions makes some sense, but when the nilValues are a reserved 
in-band non-string value it seems wierd to me.

Comments?



-- 
Mike Beckerle | OGF DFDL WG Co-Chair 
Tel:  781-330-0412









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