[DFDL-WG] representation properties vs. format properties

Fri Feb 15 04:46:02 EST 2013

I'd like to close this out on the next WG call please. Recommendation is 
below.

202
Term 'representation property' (All)
29/1: Two kinds of format property, how best to distinguish them in the 
spec.
5/2: Continued the discussion around 'representation' and 'format'. As 
part of Steve's review of the spec he will look at this issue and make a 
recommendation.
12/2: Steve has made a recommendation. Also has recommended that the DFDL 
spec uses 'property' instead of 'attribute' when referring to XSD 
properties like minOccurs (technically they are properties with an 
atribute representation). Review for next 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:   Steve Hanson/UK/IBM
To:     dfdl-wg at ogf.org, 
Cc:     Mike Beckerle <mbeckerle.dfdl at gmail.com>
Date:   12/02/2013 14:20
Subject:        Re: [DFDL-WG] representation properties vs. format 
properties

I have looked at this as part of my recent review of the updated DFDL 
spec. My conclusions:

- The term 'DFDL property' applies to all DFDL properties carried on any 
DFDL annotation. We should use it in preference to 'attribute' even when 
an XML attribute is the only way that a DFDL property may be specified. 
(This is in keeping with XML Schema, where for example the 'name' property 
of a component is given by an XML attribute representation 'name').

- Similarly, the term 'XSD property' applies to all XML Schema properties, 
such as default, fixed, minOccurs, maxOccurs, etc.

- The term 'format property' applies to all DFDL properties carried on 
DFDL format annotations. (One could envisage similar terms 'statement 
property' and 'defining property' but we don't need them at the moment).

- The term 'representation property' applies to all format properties that 
are used to describe grammar regions. The revised grammar uses 'Rep' in 
grammar terms like 'SimpleElementEmptyRep' etc.

- The term 'non-representation property' applies to all format properties 
that are not representation properties, specifically dfdl:ref, 
dfdl:hiddenGroupRef, dfdl:elementId, dfdl:choiceBranchRef, 
dfdl:inputValueCalc, dfdl:outputValueCalc, dfdl:escapeSchemeRef. 

The one non-standard property is dfdl:escapeSchemeRef, because it is a 
non-representation property yet can still be placed into scope. All the 
other non-representation properties can not be placed into scope. I am ok 
with that, it just means that whether a format property is a 
non-representation property is decoupled from whether it can be placed 
into scope or not, and should be considered on a case-by-case basis. 
Alternatively we can say that dfdl:escapeSchemeRef is a representation 
property even though it points at a defining annotation (and so is similar 
in this respect to dfdl:prefixLengthType).

- Property dfdl:representation must be qualified by the namepace prefix 
when referred to in the spec, and preferably either preceded by 'property' 
or used on its own, rather than followed by 'property', to avoid any 
ambiguity.

The term 'attribute' should be used only when describing how a property is 
represented in XML terms. 

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:   Steve Hanson/UK/IBM
To:     Mike Beckerle <mbeckerle.dfdl at gmail.com>, 
Cc:     dfdl-wg at ogf.org, dfdl-wg-bounces at ogf.org
Date:   29/01/2013 10:12
Subject:        Re: [DFDL-WG] representation properties vs. format 
properties

We do have an actual problem in the spec, as the term 'representation 
property' is being used to mean both any DFDL property (other than 'ref') 
and also the property 'representation'. This is best seen in Table 13.1.

However I am only seeing one example of the term 'format property' - in 
section 24 ?

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:   Mike Beckerle <mbeckerle.dfdl at gmail.com>
To:     dfdl-wg at ogf.org, 
Date:   28/01/2013 18:27
Subject:        [DFDL-WG] representation properties vs. format properties
Sent by:        dfdl-wg-bounces at ogf.org

We use both the terms representation property and format property 
extensively. Do we want to declare these to mean the same thing as each 
other, or globally replace one with the other.

-- 
Mike Beckerle | OGF DFDL Workgroup Co-Chair | Tresys Technology | 
www.tresys.com
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Unless stated otherwise above:
IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number 
741598. 
Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU
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