- From: Hassan Aït-Kaci <hak@ilog.com>
- Date: Sat, 03 May 2008 08:38:30 -0700
- To: "Boley, Harold" <Harold.Boley@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca>
- CC: Michael Kifer <kifer@cs.sunysb.edu>, "Public-Rif-Wg (E-mail)" <public-rif-wg@w3.org>
Boley, Harold wrote: > Also referring to > http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rif-wg/2008May/0026.html > > recall the Resolution's second sentence: > "Of course, XML entities can be used." > > Nothing better than XML entities has come up since then. I am puzzled!... I keep asking the same simple question; namely, why do we keep using a mistaken notation in our current documents? And all you keep replying is, "entities are good". Whether they are or not is NOT my point. I do not really care. My point is: WE SHOULD NOT KEEP USING THE INCORRECT NOTATION! Have I made my point clear this time, or are you again going to tell me how good entities are for brushing tour teeth and taking the garbage out?... ;-) The corollary question to this question (after MK's admission that it has been a mistake) is, "how many other such known inaccuracies are still in the BLD document?". Thank you. -hak > So I see a consensus to soon replace the informal "expands into" > of Example 4 etc. with the emerging Consts/CURIEs in PS > (http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-rif-wg/2008May/0015.html ff) > and with entities in XML (as discussed in this thread). > > -- Harold > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Hassan Aït-Kaci [mailto:hak@ilog.com] > Sent: May 3, 2008 8:09 AM > To: Michael Kifer > Cc: Boley, Harold; Public-Rif-Wg (E-mail) > Subject: Re: XMLification of presentation syntax > > Michael Kifer wrote: >> XML does not understand curie macros, so rif:iri is just that for XML. >> In the presentation syntax, rif:iri is not a "rif:iri" but a macro that >> expands into something long. So, the earlier use of rif:iri and similar in >> XML was actually a mistake. > > OK. So you mean to say, "... HAS BEEN actually a mistake" (and still > IS as far I understand). Correcting this simple mistake is easy then. > How come it has not been fixed in all the BLD documents and examples > after the resolution was passed 6 months ago? How many other such > "mistakes" remain in the current BLD draft that should be so corrected? > My question is a very pragmatic one: I am trying to implement the dang > thing. > >> XML uses entities as a similar macro device. A number of standards >> (incl OWL) use curies in their abstract syntax examples and entities in XML >> examples. > > Again - whatever. I was not asking for an XML tutorial. I was just > trying to find out what to code reading the official output of this WG. > Doing so, I am putting myself in the shoes of the average Joe reading > the latest BLD document trying to make practical sense out of our > official specs. My point is that if the BLD specs still contain such > inaccuracies despite they having been officially resolved, it makes > implementing them a bit problematic and frustrating. Or perhaps it is > too much to ask from this busy group? ;-) > >> --michael >> >> >>> Boley, Harold wrote: >>>> There is the Resolution from F2F7 I referred to below, Harold >>> Whatever... And so how come all the BLD documents since then (which >>> was back in 2007) use rif:iri and not &rif;iri ? Again - what are >>> the pros and cons for one of the other? I do not recall anything >>> about that resolution, nor why it was so important, nor why examples >>> since then have not adhered to it. Please comment and/or explain. >>> >>> -hak >>> >>> PS/ I understand everything in the RIF XML notation is a (still) a >>> moving target, but at least we should make our examples as >>> consistent as possible with what has been decided thus far. >>> How can anyone prototype this thingie otherwise? >>> >>>> PS: OWL 2 also uses entities for such purposes >>>> (switch to XML: http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-owl2-primer-20080411/#Basic_Notions): >>>> http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-owl2-primer-20080411/#Appendix:_The_Complete_Example >>>> >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Hassan Aït-Kaci [mailto:hak@ilog.com] >>>> Sent: May 2, 2008 10:28 PM >>>> To: Boley, Harold >>>> Cc: Public-Rif-Wg (E-mail) >>>> Subject: Re: XMLification of presentation syntax >>>> >>>> Boley, Harold wrote: >>>>> Given an entity declaration >>>>> (http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/REC-xml11-20060816/#sec-entity-decl), >>>>> >>>>> say >>>>> >>>>> <!ENTITY rif "http://www.w3.org/2007/rif#"> >>>>> >>>>> we can use an entity reference >>>>> (http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/REC-xml11-20060816/#sec-references), >>>>> >>>>> say >>>>> >>>>> &rif; >>>>> >>>>> so that, e.g., >>>>> >>>>> <Const type="&rif;iri"> >>>>> >>>>> stands for >>>>> >>>>> <Const type="http://www.w3.org/2007/rif#iri">. >>>>> >>>>> -- Harold >>>> Hmmm... This is then different than what is in the latest BLD draft... >>>> Note that his makes XML serialization look quite different than what can >>>> be seen therein. Has this been discussed anywhere? If so when? (I would >>>> then have missed it!) The last I recall (and in the latest BLD draft) we >>>> still had things like "rif:iri" not "&rif;iri". Not that I mind one way >>>> or the other (besides matters of taste/style), but could you please fill >>>> me in on why one rather than the other? (In the current implementation I >>>> am playing with I serialize such a Const as follows: >>>> >>>> <Const typespace="rif" typename="iri"> >>>> >>>> which I find clearer and less arcane. But this is my taste. I can surely >>>> make it produce your entity-style notation if this is what this group >>>> prefers.) >>>> >>>> -hak >>>> >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: Hassan Aït-Kaci [mailto:hak@ilog.com] >>>>> Sent: May 2, 2008 8:47 PM >>>>> To: Boley, Harold >>>>> Cc: Public-Rif-Wg (E-mail) >>>>> Subject: Re: XMLification of presentation syntax >>>>> >>>>> Boley, Harold wrote: >>>>>> Hi Hassan, >>>>>> >>>>>> Good to learn about your progress here, which should help soon in >>>>>> the development of test cases etc. >>>>>> >>>>>> There is this Resolution from F2F7: >>>>>> "RESOLVED: In the XML syntax, we'll use full IRIs (not qnames or >>>>>> curies) for Const types, etc. Of course, XML entities can be used." >>>>>> http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/Resolutions >>>>>> >>>>>> I plan to update the XML syntax using entities, as in this example: >>>>>> >>>>>> "cpt:purchase"^^rif:iri ==> <Const type="&rif;iri">&cpt;purchase</Const> >>>>> Huh? Could you pls kindly comment on the &rif; and &cpt; thingies? >>>>> >>>>>> cpt:purchase and rif:iri are tokenized as pairs of atomic strings >>>>>> (e.g., the pairs colon('cpt','purchase') and colon('rif','iri'), >>>>>> respectively), from which the XML is ultimately generated. >>>>>> >>>>>> Generally, for a single colon on both sides of the doublehat: >>>>>> >>>>>> "w:x"^^y:z =tokenize=> doublehat(colon('w','x'),colon('y','z')) >>>>>> . . . >>>>>> =xmlgen=> <Const type="&y;z">&w;x</Const> >>>>> Same question re: &y; and &w; ... >>>>> >>>>> Thanks. >>>>> >>>>> -hak >>>>> >>>>>> We could forbid multiple colons on either side of the doublehat >>>>>> or adopt an appropriate escaping convention for colons, hats, etc. >>>>>> In case there is no colon on either side of the doublehat, >>>>>> tokenizing of that side returns a single atomic string. >>>>>> >>>>>> Best, >>>>>> Harold >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>>> From: Hassan Aït-Kaci [mailto:hak@ilog.com] >>>>>> Sent: May 2, 2008 1:39 PM >>>>>> To: Boley, Harold >>>>>> Cc: Public-Rif-Wg (E-mail) >>>>>> Subject: XMLification of presentation syntax >>>>>> >>>>>> Hi, >>>>>> >>>>>> While this ping-pong exchange has been raging on the topic of the - >>>>>> by now - (in)famous, notation "foo:bar"^^rif:buzz, I have been myself >>>>>> laboring on more pedestrian pursuits generating a compiler for the >>>>>> presentation syntax that would at least be able to parse the syntax >>>>>> of the examples given in [1] and produce the XML trees rendered as >>>>>> written by you in that document. >>>>>> >>>>>> Here is what I am not sure to understand right. Your explanation >>>>>> will be most appreciated - so I can proceed and finish that thing >>>>>> already!... :-) (I am very close actually - but I'd be unwise to >>>>>> crow victory too soon as there may be further such snags lurking >>>>>> still.) >>>>>> >>>>>> The EBNF rules you give for this pertain to the non-terminal Const >>>>>> for which you give the following rules (in [2]): >>>>>> >>>>>> Const ::= '"' UNICODESTRING '"^^' SYMSPACE >>>>>> SYMSPACE ::= UNICODESTRING >>>>>> >>>>>> Then, you give the following (informal context-sensitive) translation >>>>>> (meta-)rule for expressing this construct in XML (see [3]): >>>>>> >>>>>> unicodestring^^space ==> <Const type="space">unicodestring</Const> >>>>>> >>>>>> Note that this EBNF uses two tokens '"' and '"^^' and NOT three tokens >>>>>> '"', '"', and '^^', so that this begs the question of how what goes in >>>>>> between '"' and '"^^' gets interpreted (especially ':'). >>>>>> >>>>>> You give examples of how this is actually used to produce the XML >>>>>> encoding of the presentation syntax, such as in Example 4 of [4] : >>>>>> >>>>>> "cpt:purchase"^^rif:iri ==> <Const type="rif:iri">cpt:purchase</Const> >>>>>> >>>>>> Now, I note the following points in this example: >>>>>> >>>>>> a. cpt:purchase (without quotes) is the UNICODESTRING. By that, I >>>>>> understand that it is tokenized as a single atomic string (namely, >>>>>> the string 'cpt:purchase' where ':' is part of the string). >>>>>> >>>>>> b. rif:iri (also without quotes) is also a UNICODESTRING, and thus >>>>>> it too is tokenized as a single atomic string. >>>>>> >>>>>> The above makes me think that the UNICODESTRING could be anything >>>>>> not containing special chars (including ':' and such that may have >>>>>> other special meaning in XML). Am I right ? >>>>>> >>>>>> My question: "Is ':' given any special meaning? In other words, is >>>>>> 'cpt:purchase' an XML local name, or is it that 'cpt' is the XML >>>>>> namespace and 'purchase' the XML local name ? >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks for clarifying... >>>>>> >>>>>> -hak >>>>>> >>>>>> References: >>>>>> >>>>>> [1]http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/BLD >>>>>> [2]http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/BLD#EBNF_for_the_RIF-BLD_Rule_Language >>>>>> [3]http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/BLD#Translation_of_the_RIF-BLD_Condition_Language >>>>>> [4]http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/BLD#XML_for_the_RIF-BLD_Condition_Language >>> -- >>> Hassan Aït-Kaci * ILOG, Inc. - Product Division R&D >>> http://koala.ilog.fr/wiki/bin/view/Main/HassanAitKaci >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> > > -- Hassan Aït-Kaci * ILOG, Inc. - Product Division R&D http://koala.ilog.fr/wiki/bin/view/Main/HassanAitKaci
Received on Saturday, 3 May 2008 15:38:28 UTC