Re: URI reference to a directory (what do you want to do?)

At 01:10 PM 2003-08-31, Israel Viente wrote:

>Thanks for your answer. Sorry about the wrong base URI "file://e:/f/g" - my
>stupid mistake.
>
>If I understood correctly, as far as it specified in the RFC :
>
>Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g"
>Relative URI : "../h"
>Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/h"
>
>Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g/" (note the trailing slash).
>Relative URI : "../h"
>Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/g/h"
>
>According to:
> >     o  Return a string consisting of the reference's path component
> >        appended to all but the last segment of the base URI's path (i.e.,
> >        any characters after the right-most "/" in the base URI path are
> >        excluded).
>Since there are no characters after the right most "/" in the base URI
>"file:///e:/f/g/" , g will not be excluded.

That part is right.  But the answers above are not right yet.
In the reference algorithm, which I have shortened to focus on your example:

<quote cite=
"http://gbiv.com/protocols/uri/rev-2002/draft-fielding-uri-rfc2396bis-03.txt"
whereItSays=
"5.2 Obtaining the Referenced URI">

       --
       ...
       if defined(R.scheme) then ...
       else
          if defined(R.authority) then ...
          else
             if (R.path == "") then ...
             else
                if (R.path starts-with "/") then
                   T.path = remove_dot_segments(R.path);
                else
                   T.path = merge(Base.path, R.path);  <<<< you got this 
step right
                   T.path = remove_dot_segments(T.path); <<<< missed this 
step, this time
                endif;
                T.query = R.query;
             endif;
             T.authority = Base.authority;
          endif;
          T.scheme = Base.scheme;
       endif;

</quote>

>Am I right ?

Almost.  See above.

I think the following are correct examples <cross fingers and hope/>:

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g"
Relative URI : "../h"
Resolved URI : "file:///e:/h"

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g"
Relative URI : "./h"
Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/h"

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g"
Relative URI : "/h"
Resolved URI : "file:///h"

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g"
Relative URI : "h"
Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/h"

-- add terminal slash to base

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g/"
Relative URI : "../h"
Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/h"

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g/"
Relative URI : "./h"
Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/g/h"

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g/"
Relative URI : "/h"
Resolved URI : "file:///h"

Base URI  :  "file:///e:/f/g/"
Relative URI : "h"
Resolved URI : "file:///e:/f/g/h"

-- check me on that...

Al

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Al Gilman" <asgilman@iamdigex.net>
>To: "Israel Viente" <israel_viente@il.vio.com>; <uri@w3.org>
>Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2003 5:22 PM
>Subject: Re: URI reference to a directory (what do you want to do?)
>
>
> > At 06:31 AM 2003-08-31, Israel Viente wrote:
> > >I'm just trying to understand how should one resolve a relative URI
> > >reference according to a Base URI.
> > >
> > >If I have a Base URI
> > >"file://e:/f/g"
> > >
> > >and a Relative URI
> > >"../h"
> > >
> > >It can influence the resolving URI in case the 'g' above is a file or a
> > >directory. (Lets assume 'g' file and 'g' directory exist in
>"file://e:/f").
> > >
> > >In case g is a directory : Resolved URI would be "file://e:/f/h"
> > >In case g is a file          : Resolved URI would be "file://e:/h"
> >
> > No, the answer does not depend on whether g is a directory or a file.
> >
> > The reference algorithm given in section 5. of the RFC draft that you
>cited
> > takes no note of the object class of the resource identified by any URI.
> > It is a purely syntactic transform on two strings, the base and the
>reference,
> > to obtain a resolved result.
> >
> > The right answer in this case is always
> >
> >    file://e:/h
> >
> > even 'though it is extremely likely that this URI is wrong,
> > because the Base it started with is wrong.  [Not for the reasons you
>think.]
> >
> > The file or directory that you want is probably correctly identified by
>the URI
> >
> >    file:///e:/h
> >
> > Note the third slash character.  Here the 'localhost' [naming]
> > authority has been elided and left implied.  The likelihood is that the
>Base
> > should have been "file:///e:/f/g" .
> >
> > In the document you cited, may I draw your attention to the language:
> >
> > <quote cite=
> >
>"http://gbiv.com/protocols/uri/rev-2002/draft-fielding-uri-rfc2396bis-03.txt"
> > whereItSays="5.2 Obtaining the Referenced URI">
> >
> >
> >     The pseudocode above refers to a merge routine for merging a
> >     relative-path reference with the path of the base URI.  This is
> >     accomplished as follows:
> >
> > <snip/>
> >
> >     o  Return a string consisting of the reference's path component
> >        appended to all but the last segment of the base URI's path (i.e.,
> >        any characters after the right-most "/" in the base URI path are
> >        excluded).
> >
> > </quote>
> >
> > The basification rules are written to work for any scheme and in
>particular
> > they respect the opacity of URI-references with respect to the type or
>class
> > of referents.
> >
> > The client resolving the relative reference is presumed to have to be able
> > do this without prior knowledge of what sort of a resource it is that a
>URI
> > identifies.
> >
> > It is carefuly done in a form which is a resource-blind string
>manipulation.
> >
> > The only intelligence is couched in terms of syntactic structure
> > recognizable from the string value of the Base and instance
>URI-references.
> >
> > If you are making different results based on information you got by
>peeking
> > into the file system, you are doing something wrong.  At least per the
> > specification.
> > And if you have to go outside the specification in an implementation to
>deal
> > with human frailty, you should be pausing to get confirmation of the
>action
> > from the user.
> >
> >   http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-tag/2002May/0134.html
> >
> > Now, so far I have only talked about the "as specified" behavior.
> >
> > For "as implemented behavior" you really want to get access to whatever
> > information Paul Hoffman has collected.  Consider:
> >
> > <quote cite=
> > "http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/uri/2003Aug/0011.html">
> >
> >      Section 2.8: will be updated to include specific usage of the file:
> >      scheme on different operating systems
> >
> > Having done some experimentation, I believe that we can't say much
> > general about particular operating systems. Instead, it seems like
> > various versions of browsers and other URL resolvers do different
> > things for file: based on the whim of the implementer. I can
> > certainly discuss that in a paragraph, but that's probably all we
> > need.
> >
> > </quote>
> >
> > Al
> >
> > > > As I understand it, any URL ending with a slash identifies a
>directory,
> > > > while any other identifies either a file or a directory.
> > >
> > > >That would be true for file: URIs.
> > >
> > >So I see (from previous answers) that at least in the file: scheme a
> > >trailing slash is the convention to identify a folder URI.
> > >Am I wrong ?
> > >
> > > > What is it that you are trying to do?
> > >I'm participating in writing application note on file URLs for JDF in
> > >cip4.org.
> > >The JDF is XML instance that describes printing workflow of a print job.
> > >One of the attributes there serves as the Base URI of the document that
> > >relative URIs reference to.
> > >It is according to RFC2396bis-03 section 5.1.1.
> > >
> > >I'm just trying to understand how should one resolve a relative URI
> > >reference according to a Base URI.
> > >
> > >If I have a Base URI
> > >"file://e:/f/g"
> > >
> > >and a Relative URI
> > >"../h"
> > >
> > >It can influence the resolving URI in case the 'g' above is a file or a
> > >directory. (Lets assume 'g' file and 'g' directory exist in
>"file://e:/f").
> > >
> > >In case g is a directory : Resolved URI would be "file://e:/f/h"
> > >In case g is a file          : Resolved URI would be "file://e:/h"
> > >
> > >I think the same question regards other schemes as well.
> > >
> > >Israel
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From: "Al Gilman" <asgilman@iamdigex.net>
> > >To: "Israel Viente" <israel_viente@il.vio.com>; <uri@w3.org>
> > >Sent: Friday, August 29, 2003 4:35 PM
> > >Subject: Re: URI reference to a directory (what do you want to do?)
> > >
> > >
> > > > At 02:30 PM 2003-08-27, Israel Viente wrote:
> > > > >Can a URI reference to a folder and not a file ?
> > > > >How can you distinguish between a file URI and a folder one ?
> > > >
> > > > So far, we have reiterated that there is no 'folder' concept in the
> > > > top-level URI specification for all schemes.
> > > >
> > > > On the other hand, many HTTP servers offer a function resembling the
> > >directory
> > > > listing which is accessible by the URI
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/
> > > >
> > > > What is it that you are trying to do?
> > > >
> > > > True, for the most-hit URIs of the form
> > > >
> > > >    http://www.example.com/partial/path/
> > > >
> > > > one can request
> > > >
> > > >    http://www.example.com/partial/path
> > > >
> > > > and get the same results.  True, this may take more net traffic and
> > > > wall-clock time for the user, so that when you mean the former, it is
> > >better
> > > > to put it (complete with slash character) as the value of the the
> > > > html:a.href attribute.
> > > >
> > > > But yet you can't do URI-munging transforms to bash
> > > >
> > > >    scheme://node.example.tld/partial/path
> > > >
> > > > to
> > > >
> > > >    scheme://node.example.tld/partial/path/
> > > >
> > > > with certainty that this is equivalent on the server side, if what you
> > >want
> > > > is to offer directory services from your site there are multiple
>competing
> > > > implementations that will make this available from *your site*.
> > > >
> > > > Current HTTP practice runs against offering directory [a.k.a. folder]
> > > > listings as a matter of site policy.  The data persistence service
>that
> > >the
> > > > server uses in its computing platform often contains a mix of things
>like
> > > > HTML files that are wished to be visitable by the public and
>supporting
> > >data
> > > > that is not wished to be shared in its persistent form.
> > > >
> > > > Current best practice would be to offer somewhere obvious on the site
>a
> > > > hierarchical catalog of the site contents that works much like a
>digital
> > > > talking book Table of Navigation[1].
> > > >
> > > > Al
> > > >
> > > > [1]  ANSI/NISO Z39.86, Supporting Documents Index Page
> > > >   http://www.loc.gov/nls/niso/

Received on Sunday, 31 August 2003 13:30:31 UTC