RE: SPARQL 2004-10-12 syntax and grammar issues

See also:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rdf-dawg/2004OctDec/0210.html


[[
5. grammar/syntax ($ etc.)

Discussion started about $ vs. ? on variable identifiers

DaveB: last week's straw poll was very much $-favourable
DanC short straw-poll:
	?--> 3 votes
	$ --> 3 votes
	Yoshio: abstains
	kendall: I will object to $ only, I think. FYI.

AlbertoR don't we need $ test cases as well?

ACTION: AndyS to write a test cases which use ? and $ in the same query

SteveH wonders if $foo == ?foo
AndyS: Steve - yes - $ is a marker not part of the variable
AlbertoR: yes

AndyS the SPARQL spec/document will stick to ? but $ will be allowed -  
tests cases will not generally be affected - but some $ tests cases  
will be provided
]]



-------- Original Message --------
> From: Kendall Clark <>
> Date: 8 November 2004 13:19
> 
> On Mon, Nov 08, 2004 at 12:15:07PM +0000, Dave Beckett wrote:
> 
> Dave, the only things I see being 'solved' by adding both or all of
> several alternatives is variable prefixes and comment
> delimiters. Maybe there's a slippery slope around here (which I take
> to be yr point re: RDF/XML), but I don't agree that these alone have
> started us down it.
> 
> > ISSUE: Variables with $ or variables with ?
> > After the telcon discussion and preferences (vote?), I'm still
> > waiting for the editors to announce what they are doing / have done.
> > 
> > The 2004-10-26 telcon
> >  
> >
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rdf-dawg/2004OctDec/0194.html
> > had strawpoll approximately  no preference: 4  $: 5+1ish  ?: 1 
> > which I saw as favouring $ alone.
> 
> Just FYI, I'm pretty sure I would formally object if "$" alone is
> chosen. Hate to say that, but I think it's a bad (even if relatively
> small) mistake.
> 
> > ISSUE: Commas or no commas
> > I've already seen user confusion when they tried to use ','s inside
> > WHERE (s, p, o) and omitting them outside with SELECT ?x ?y.  I've
> > mentioned this many times as likely to happen.  It's hard to
remember.
> 
> I also find this confusing. I'd prefer commas in both places. iTQL
> doesn't require commas between the parts of a triple, and I continue
> to find that v. hard to read.
> 
> Kendall Clark
> --
> Sometimes it's appropriate, even patriotic, to be ashamed
> of your country. -- James Howard Kunstler