RE: RIF Working Group needs namespace name for xpath "op"

Dear Sandro

Why can't you use the XPath operator instead? Like *?

That would allow you to be interoperable with XPath 2.0 implementations, many of which will not use the operator functions as described in the spec for implementation purposes.

Best regards
Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: public-qt-comments-request@w3.org [mailto:public-qt-comments-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Sandro Hawke
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 8:53 AM
To: public-qt-comments@w3.org
Subject: RIF Working Group needs namespace name for xpath "op"



I'm writing on behalf of the W3C Rule Interchange Format (RIF) Working
Group [1], for which I am W3C staff contact.  RIF-WG is charted to
develop an XML format for interchanging rules.  It is supposed to reuse
F&O where practical [2].

In general, this reuse is working well, but we have one small snag: the
operators don't have an XML namespace.  F&O explains why this is [3]:

    Functions defined with the op prefix are described here to underpin
    the definitions of the operators in [XML Path Language (XPath) 2.0],
    [XQuery 1.0: An XML Query Language] and [XSL Transformations (XSLT)
    Version 2.0]. These functions are not available directly to users, and
    there is no requirement that implementations should actually provide
    these functions. For this reason, no namespace is associated with the op
    prefix. For example, multiplication is generally associated with the *
    operator, but it is described as a function in this document:

but RIF is an XML format, so it actually does need the namespace.

Has some namespace been defined yet?

If not, I propose:
     http://www.w3.org/2005/xpath-operators

That namespace name is chosen to parallel the fn: prefix from [3]:
     http://www.w3.org/2005/xpath-functions

Any comment?

We need to pick something for a Working Draft scheduled for publication
on 21 March.  We're planning to take that document to Last Call at the
end of May.

      -- Sandro

[1] http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/RIF_Working_Group
[2] http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wg/charter.html#w3c-xml
[3] http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/REC-xpath-functions-20070123/

Received on Wednesday, 5 March 2008 01:12:26 UTC