uniformity between p:input, c:http-request, and steps like XQuery

Right now, if you construct a file URI and pass it to c:http-request, you're
likely to get the contents of the file encoded as a c:body element.  In the
case of XML resources, the result should be identical between c:http-request,
p:input with a p:document element, and c:load.

Now, c:http-request can load non-XML resources via the same process.  For
example, if I had an XQuery on the disk, I could load it via c:http-request and
then I'd have to rename c:body to c:query.

If c:http-request can load files, why can p:input/p:document ?

I can see leaving p:load alone as the "load an XML resource"s step.

We can rely on the same rules for conversion via media type (or implied
media type via last-segment extensions) into a c:body for non-XML media
types.

This would mean that the proposed change by the XQuery WG to the
XQuery step to add the "query-uri" option wouldn't be necessary.  You'd
just point to the  query resource via a p:document element and the
application/xquery media type would result in a c:body that is appropriate
encoded.  We could then change the XQuery step to allow c:body as well
as c:query (which seems like a good idea regardless of this proposal).

-- 
--Alex Milowski
"The excellence of grammar as a guide is proportional to the paucity of the
inflexions, i.e. to the degree of analysis effected by the language
considered."

Bertrand Russell in a footnote of Principles of Mathematics

Received on Thursday, 17 July 2008 14:44:17 UTC