Re: Binding loops and PROPFIND clarification needed (was Re: COPY and bindings)

How about the following alternative:

For PROPFIND, define a new 2xx status code that means "resource already 
reported".

A server that detects a loop in a PROPFIND result, would use this new 2xx 
status
code for the 2'nd (and subsequent) encounters with a given resource.  This 
allows
the client to reconstruct the binding structure based on just a single 
PROPFIND
call.

In particular, we could add the following paragraph to the Binding 
specification:

-----------------------------

7.1   208 Already Reported
The 208 (Already Reported) status code can be used inside a DAV:propstat
response element to indicate that information about the resource has
already been reported in a previous DAV:propstat element in that response.
The members of the 208 status resource are omitted from the response. 
For example, consider a PROPFIND request on /Coll (bound to collection C),
where the members of  /Coll are /Coll/Foo (bound to resource R) 
and /Coll/Bar (bound to collection C).

>> Request:

PROPFIND /Coll/ HTTP/1.1
Host: www.example.com
Depth: infinity
Content-Type: text/xml; charset="utf-8"
Content-Length: xxx

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<D:propfind xmlns:D="DAV:">
   <D:prop> <D:displayname/> </D:prop>
</D:propfind>

>> Response:

HTTP/1.1 207 Multi-Status
Content-Type: text/xml; charset="utf-8"
Content-Length: xxx

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<D:multistatus xmlns:D="DAV:">
   <D:response>
      <D:href>http://www.example.com/Coll/</D:href>
      <D:propstat>
         <D:prop>
            <D:displayname>Loop Demo</D:displayname>
         </D:prop>
         <D:status>HTTP/1.1 200 OK</D:status>
      </D:propstat>
   </D:response>
   <D:response>
      <D:href>http://www.example.com/Coll/Foo</D:href>
      <D:propstat>
         <D:prop>
            <D:displayname>Bird Inventory</D:displayname>
         </D:prop>
         <D:status>HTTP/1.1 200 OK</D:status>
      </D:propstat>
   </D:response>
   <D:response>
      <D:href>http://www.example.com/Coll/Bar</D:href>
      <D:propstat>
         <D:prop>
            <D:displayname>Loop Demo</D:displayname>
         </D:prop>
         <D:status>HTTP/1.1 208 Already Reported</D:status>
      </D:propstat>
   </D:response>
</D:multistatus>

A client can request the DAV:resourceid property in a PROPFIND request to 
guarantee that they can accurately reconstruct the binding structure of a 
collection with multiple bindings to a single resource.
-------------------------------------

Cheers,
Geoff

Chris wrote on 07/11/2003 06:24:09 PM:
> 
> Julian Reschke wrote:
> 
> >>First/easiest thing would be to change the example to have the 506
> >>followed by a 200. (The example implied to me that processing stopped 
at
> >>the first 506.)
> >> 
> >>
> >
> >That would break the multistatus format - every URI may only appear 
once.
> >
> >What we should do is clarify that the processing only stops *for the
> >resource that is part of the bind loop*. So maybe just change the 
example to
> >have the "looping child" appear first in the collection.
> > 
> >
> Sorry for being unclear, that's what I meant (having a different URI in 
> the 200 after the 506.)
> 
> >Maybe, maybe not. So which clients *do* require 
PROPFIND/depth:infinity? The
> >Microsoft webfolder client doesn't.
> > 
> >
> You're right, no client requires it and could do the same by recursively 

> PROPFINDing down the tree.
> 
> Are you going to make it to the Interop? Hope to see you there! (We 
> might even have a first pass at a BIND-capable server. :*)
>