[graap-wg] Strings, QNames and videotape - or: many ways to skin a cat

[Heiko Ludwig]

All,

as the last outstanding item before closing on the final V1 of 
WS-Agreement, we need to settle on the use of strings, QNames and NCNames 
for descriptive names and IDs that we use in the schema and spec. Right 
now, it is a merry mixture, following various trends in the past.

We have a number of options to address the restrictions that should apply 
to unique identfiers and desriptive names:

- Unique identifiers could be strings (no restriction), QNames (one 
can/must use namespaces to structure ids), or NCNames (no QName). There 
are pros and cons to all of them but the most likely candidates seem to be 
strings or QNames. I don't see implementation reasons for NCNames right 
now. 
- Descriptive names could be strings or we may force NCNames. I don't see 
the point of telling people how they would like to call their agreement 
etc. descriptively. If a users thinks a:b:c tells him or her what is meant 
who wants to object. So I strongly propose the first.

Applying the above thoughts to the schema, we yield:

- a schema where all ids are QNames and all descriptive names are strings: 

- a schema where all ids and names are strings: 

To decide what is an id and what is a descriptive name I strictly went by 
the name of the attribute, finishing with Id or not. This might not be 
correct. For example, ServiceName coul dreally be an ID. Then we should 
call it that way and make it whatever we decide. If we go with string ids, 
it doesn't matter.

This point is to be concluded in tomorrow's phone call and then applied to 
the text of the spec in the following day or two.

Heiko

-----
Heiko Ludwig, Dr. rer. pol.
IBM TJ Watson Research Center, PO Box 704, Yorktown, NY, 10598
hludwig at us.ibm.com, tel. +1 914 784 7160,  mob. +1 646 675 8469
http://www.research.ibm.com/people/h/hludwig/

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