Re: Scan Questions

> Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 10:31:21 -0400
> From: "Ray Denenberg, Library of Congress" <rden@loc.gov>
> 
> Z39.50-2003 is available via
> http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/document.html
> or directly, http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/Z39-50-2003.pdf

Thanks, Ray, but the on-line HTML version of the 1995 standard has
been an invaluable resource -- I've used it ten times as much as my
paper copy in the last few years.  It's a real shame that there's
nothing similar for Z39.50-2003.

> > The ScanResponse ASN.1 at
> > http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/asn1.html#ScanResponse
> > includes a parameter
> >
> > attributeSet                 [8]    IMPLICIT AttributeSetId
> >
> > which does not seem to be documented in the prose.  What is this?
> 
> Note that "list of suggested attributes" is documented (both in '95
> and '03) the editor decided that the attribute set id didn't need to
> be explicitly named in the service description.

Huh.  So the idea is that the attributeSet at the very top level of
the scanResponse is the set that attributes are considered to belong
to that are listed in the AttributeList called suggestedAttributes in
the TermInfo part of each Entry in the ListEntries object?  I guess
that makes a certain amount of sense.  One of those nice clarifying
comments in the ASN.1 would have helped, but I guess that will have to
wait for Z39.50-2011 now :-)

> > Has anyone, ever, in the history of the universe, implemented
> > OccurrenceByAttributes?  :-)
> 
> Les Wibberley!

Ah, yes, Les -- much cited for his use of 10,000-node chemical
formulae as search terms!

Thanks for all these clarifications.  Everything seems clear now.

 _/|_	 _______________________________________________________________
/o ) \/  Mike Taylor  <mike@indexdata.com>  http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\  "You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you've read it
	 in the original Klingon." -- Klingon Programming Mantra

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Received on Thursday, 29 April 2004 07:55:42 UTC