[saga-rg] Queries and minor points

[Graeme Pound]

Please find below a couple of queries, and diverse minor points, which 
arose during my preparation of a Java implementation of the API. I 
anticipate that my comments on the semantics of the API will become a 
little more substantive in due course.

Thanks,
	Graeme



######### Queries

- I am little unclear of the purpose and operation of 
Attribute.getVectorAttribute() and Attribute.setVectorAttribute(). What 
is returned if a vector attribute is queried with getAttribute()? Why 
are a vector of values associated with a key required?

- contextType does not appear to be very extensible, how would different 
security models be specified?


######### Minor points

- Exceptions are not described in the SIDL interface, however Exception 
types are listed in long description of the methods (for example 
ReadOnlyAttribute and NoSuchKey). This information should be in the SIDL 
description as it is fundamental to the interface.

- capitalise ivec, openDirFlags, openFlags?

- JobService.runJob() returns Job and stdin, stdout, stderr. However 
stdin, stdout, stderr are available from Job.getJobInfo()? Can runJob() 
simply return an object Job?

- enum values are not specified by JobState

- LogicalFile argument types not specified for addLocation, 
removeLocation, replicate. These should be 'string'

- The enumerations openDirFlags and openFlags exist in the following 
packages SAGA.Namespace, SAGA.File and SAGA.LogicalFile (although 
SAGA.Namespace is imported by SAGA.File and SAGA.LogicalFile). Is this 
duplication required?

- the interfaces Stream and StreamServer implements Attributes, however 
Attributes does not exist. Is this Attribute (perhaps Attributes is a 
better name for this class)?

- File.readP() and File.writeP() define input argument of type 
'pattern'. This type is not defined by the SIDL API, is 'pattern' an 
undefined class or primitive type?

- in Stream
     void getContext (out context info);
   should read
     void getContext (out Context info);


- strawman_error.txt: "All objects in SAGA implement ErrorHandler...", 
the SIDL for these objects should indicate that they implement the 
ErrorHandler interface. The following objects:
     Directory
     File
     Job
     JobService
     LogicalDirectory
     LogicalFile
     Multiplexer
     Stream
     StreamServer
     Task
     TaskContainer
     ... any others ?