[F&O] IBM-FO-003: Description of function signatures

(IBM-FO-003) Section 1.2, Function Signatures and Descriptions: Please 
make the following changes to the paragraph beginning "In this notation":

(a) Paragraph claims that each parameter has a non-normative name "used to 
describe the function's semantics". Please delete this phrase. The name of 
a parameter is not used to describe the function's semantics.

(b) Paragraph says "In most cases, the dynamic type returned by the 
function is the same as its static type." Please delete "in most cases". 
This is either a rule or it is not. The rule should say that the dynamic 
type of the return value is always the static return type or derived from 
the static return type.

(c) Paragraph says says the types "node" and "item" are indicated as 
"node()" and "item()". No need to treat these types as special cases. 
Instead, please state that all parameter types and return types are 
specified using the SequenceType notation defined in Section 2.4.3 of the 
XQuery book. This is a more comprehensive statement, and covers the whole 
notation including occurrence indicators, etc.

Similarly, the last three paragraphs of Section 1.2 attempt to explain 
certain specific aspects of SequenceType notation. This should be covered 
by the general statement that all parameter types and return types are 
specified using the SequenceType notation. It's OK to include some 
examples that are of interest in function signatures, such as illustrating 
the difference between a function that takes no parameter and a function 
that has a parameter that accepts the empty sequence.

--Don Chamberlin

Received on Friday, 27 February 2004 20:50:29 UTC