Re: [widgets] Comments on API spec: Storage areas and Origin

I haven't seen any comments yet on this issue?

(This may just be me misunderstanding the intended meaning of "origin"  
in this context.)

On 19 Aug 2009, at 11:42, Scott Wilson wrote:
> sue:
>
> 5. Storage Areas
> "A storage area is a data-store that is unique for the origin of a  
> widget, which a user agent can use to store string-based key-value  
> pairs."
>
> The storage area must be unique to the instance of a widget.  
> Otherwise this will lead to widget instances overwriting each  
> others' preference settings, or exposing personal preferences to  
> other users who happen to be using the same type of widget. (There's  
> a discussion of this on the list somewhere).
>
> However, given the definition of origin in the document, the current  
> text may be a problem:
>
> "The universally unique identity of a widget represented as a URI,  
> established via the rules defined in the [Widgets-URI] specification."
>
> Now by "widget" do the spec actually mean the widget instance, or  
> what you might think of as the widget's "class" or prototype?
>
> The latter would seem to be the case given a read of the Widgets URI  
> scheme draft [1], in which case, the Origin is not going to work for  
> associating a storage area unless the UA is single-user and doesn't  
> allow widgets to be instantiated multiple times.
>
> (E.g. Apache Wookie (Incubating) mints a UID when a widget is  
> instantiated for a particular user in a particular application  
> context (e.g. user "bob" puts the "weather" widget onto their  
> "profile page"), and uses this UID to associate a storage area with  
> the widget instance. The widget id URI as found in config.xml->id is  
> used along with application context and user data to generate the  
> hash for the UID. Now, is Wookie's UID the "origin" as far as A&E is  
> concerned, or is it the canonical widget id?)
>
> So either "origin" needs clarification as referring to widget  
> instances, or storage areas need to be defined in terms of instances  
> and not necessarily the origin - in which case the dependency of the  
> A&E spec on [1] can be removed.
> -S
>
> [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/widgets-uri/