Re: RDFa test suite addition

Mark Birbeck wrote:
> What's happened is that you've now found two possible ways to append
> (to the document part or to the hostname), but I'm afraid that the
> algorithm for converting a relative URI to an absolute one involves
> yet further possibilities.

You're right - I took some time last night to look through RFC 3986.
Specifically the "Reference Resolution" section:

http://gbiv.com/protocols/uri/rfc/rfc3986.html#reference-resolution

There certainly are a number of cases where appending wouldn't work, and
as you pointed out, it is stated that reference resolution is required
in the RDFa Syntax document in Section 5.4. So any changes would be
editorial.

At the very least, I think we should add a couple of test cases to the
harness covering URI reference resolution. I'd be happy to do so after I
get back on the 11th of August.

> Anyway, we have it in the spec, but you are right that we should
> perhaps consider making the wording both clearer and stronger.

Upon reading section 5.4 again, I think the wording is correct. As you
said, we may want to make it more prominent somehow, but one way to make
parser implementors more aware of the requirement is to put a couple of
test cases in the test suite.

> Section 5.4.2, "Converting a CURIE to a URI" describes the following algorithm:

We will probably want to clarify this section with something to this effect:

"... relative URIs will need to be resolved relative to the base URI,
using the algorithm defined in section 5 of RFC 3986 [URI], Reference
Resolution."

It is stated above in 5.2, but my impression reading 5.4.2 is that a
different algorithm is used to resolve CURIEs.

> However, I agree again that it wouldn't hurt to make this point more
> forcefully, but again, I think this is just about stress in the prose,
> rather than a fundamental issue.

Agreed. Minor correction to the language in 5.4.2 and I'd be happy.

I think that the answer we should give in the future is:

URI Reference Resolution must be performed in the RDFa parser as stated
in RDFa Syntax document, Section 5.4 and 5.4.2.

Thanks for the clarification, Mark :)

-- manu

-- 
Manu Sporny
President/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
blog: Bitmunk 3.0 Website Launches
http://blog.digitalbazaar.com/2008/07/03/bitmunk-3-website-launches

Received on Thursday, 31 July 2008 13:23:26 UTC