[oslc-core] Writing about forming URIs and query parameters

[Arthur Ryman]

Dave,

I suggest something like the following:

An HTTP URI may contain an optional query string (see RFC 1738 or 3986) 
which is appended to some base URI and separated from it by a "?" 
character. The query string often has the syntax of a sequence of 
name-value pairs. The names that appear in the query string are referred 
to as query parameters. 

OSLC defines several standard query parameters, e.g. oslc.properties, that 
OSLC services MAY use. 

For example, when a base URI identifies some OSLC domain entity, such as a 
Requirement, the oslc.properties query parameter may be appended to it in 
order to select a subset of the domain entity's properties to be returned 
in the response to an HTTP GET request.

[1] http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1738
[2] http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3986

Regards, 
___________________________________________________________________________ 

Arthur Ryman, PhD, DE


Chief Architect, Project and Portfolio Management

IBM Software, Rational

Markham, ON, Canada | Office: 905-413-3077, Cell: 416-939-5063
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From:
Dave <snoopdave at gmail.com>
To:
oslc-core at open-services.net
Date:
03/17/2010 09:18 AM
Subject:
[oslc-core] Writing about forming URIs and query parameters
Sent by:
oslc-core-bounces at open-services.net



Some of the text in the query resource and oslc.properties sections of
the Core Spec DRAFT are a little confusing because I'm trying to
constrain the way I write about URIs and resources. I'm trying to
stick to the definitions in the glossary. I still have not found the
correct language and I've been waiting until we merge in the Query
Syntax stuff before fixing the prose.

One thing I want to avoid is language that says things like "a
resource supports query parameters" because that is not really
consistent with the notions of URI and resource. Every different URI
indicates a different resource and query parameters are part of the
URI. So, for example, this URI:

   a) http://example.com/issues/issue501

Points to a completely different resource than this URI:

   b) http://example.com/issues/issue501?oslc.properties=dc:title

In the example above, we have some data item "issue501" and the two
resources above are two different ways to look, or two different views
of that resource. The resource (b) is related to (a) because it is a
subset of the property values of (a).

Instead of using language like this: "resource URI supports an
oslc.properties parameter that allows a client to return a subset of
properties" I would prefer to use language more like this: "If you
have a resource URI and you would like to obtain a subset of the
property values in that resource, you can form URIs to subsets by
adding the oslc.properties query parameter."

And that is what I've been trying to do, but so far I have had limited
success. Thoughts?

Thanks,
- Dave

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