RE: spec of multi-sorted Core should include the ASN productions

 



1. obtain an XML Schema document for multi-sorted RIF Core
2. use JAXB/2.0 to generate Java classes and xml marshaller/unmarshaller
from (1)
3. write a RIF "import" utility Java program that walks a RIF document
expressed using (2) and creates production rules in OBR
4. write a RIF "export" utility Java program that creates a RIF document
from an OBR ruleset (or explains why translation isn't possible)
5. add some builtins from xquery/xpath like op:numeric-add which are sorted
and without which it's kind of hard to write any useful rules at all

It is reasonably straightforward to generate (1) from the ASN in the Core
spec, although the Schema isn't uniquely determinable from the ASN
(possibility of stripe skipping, etc), which is a big problem for
interoperability.

Unfortunately, the ASN in the Core spec does not include support for
multiple sorts.  The "sorting" is kind of "added on" toward the end of the
spec, and the ASN is never completely revealed.  I think it's pretty easy to
guess about the primitive sorts from the examples, but the arrow sorts and
boolean sorts really need to have ASN.  


Gary,
 
I had pointed to this incompleteness problem of the syntax definition in my
message [1], but nobody has shared my concern, and my message was more or
less ignored. 
 
It's kind of funny that a first version of an interchange language is being
defined without doing any test if it can really be used for any meaningful
interchange. Your attempt to do so seems to be the first one.
 
-Gerd
 
 
[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rif-wg/2007Mar/0029.html