RE: ETags

If the resource is an XML file, am I allowed to make some of the pieces of
that available as WebDAV properties?  Say I want to keep DAV:displayname in
sync with the <title> tag inside the document.  If so, I would want to
change the ETag when those properties are updated.

--Eric

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Douglas Steen [mailto:dsteen@ekeeper.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2000 2:39 PM
> To: WebDAV WG
> Subject: [Moderator Action] RE: ETags
>
>
> Sounds reasonable for the last-mod-date, but can we still do a MUST for
the
> e-tags?
>
>     Douglas R. Steen
>     dsteen@eKeeper.Com
>     Drag-and-Drop Web Content Management
>     http://www.eKeeper.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Stein [mailto:gstein@lyra.org]
> Sent: Thursday, 17 February, 2000 4:30 PM
> To: WebDAV WG
> Subject: RE: ETags
>
>
> I think that we have to say MAY. Consider the case where properties are
> stored as part of a multi-stream file (NTFS or MacOS's HFS). I bet the
> date will change when you store a property. While reasonable to state that
> the server implementation is required to restore the modification date to
> the original (before storing the property), I think that is getting into
> dangerous territory. What if your backup solution is using the
> modification time to backup that multi-stream file? Or maybe there is
> another storage mechanism where a server couldn't restore the date(!).
>
> Putting a MAY into the spec is fine. Yes, the client won't know what the
> server is going to do, but that isn't that big of a deal. For most of the
> live properties, the client won't always know what will happen when they
> touch the resource.
>
> Cheers,
> -g
>
> On Thu, 17 Feb 2000, Kevin Wiggen wrote:
> > I could probably make up just as compelling reasons why the ETag and
> > Last-Modified-Date SHOULD change during a update of a dead property etc.
> >
> > But
> >
> > I agree that it seems that no other server can (or is) supporting this.
I
> > can pull this functionality out of Xythos.
> >
> > I just read Greg's email, and I don't like putting the MAY in the spec.
A
> > client will never know what the server is doing.  I think we just need
to
> > pick a position and put it in 2518.
> >
> > I am fine with changing properties does not modify the ETag or
> > Last-Modified-Date.  But I think we should be consistent.
> >
> > Kevin
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org
> > [mailto:w3c-dist-auth-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Jim Whitehead
> > Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2000 12:03 PM
> > To: WebDAV WG
> > Subject: FW: [Moderator Action] RE: ETags
> >
> >
> > Accidentally caught by the spam filter.
> >
> > - Jim
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Clemm, Geoff [mailto:gclemm@rational.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2000 7:56 PM
> > To: w3c-dist-auth@w3.org
> > Subject: [Moderator Action] RE: ETags
> >
> >
> > A good reason to not change the etag or mod-date when a property changes
> > is that a property is often information about the resource, as opposed
to
> > "being" the resource.  If I mark a resource as being "tested", I don't
> want
> > it to appear that the resource has changed (thus making it look like I
> need
> > to test it again).
> > A less compelling reason (but still a consideration) is to achieve
> > consistency
> > between dead and live properties.  You certainly don't want a change to
> the
> > "last access time" of a resource to modify the etag or "modification
time"
> > of
> > that resource.
> > Add to this the fact that current implementations appear to not modify
the
> > etag or
> > modification time when a dead property is modified, and I think we have
a
> > pretty
> > case that neither the etag value nor the modification time should
> > be changed when a dead property is updated.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Geoff
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Kevin Wiggen [mailto:wiggs@xythos.com]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2000 4:12 AM
> > > To: w3c-dist-auth@w3.org
> > > Subject: ETags
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I searched the spec and could not find any special details on handling
> > > ETags.
> > >
> > > Should an ETag value be updated when a dead property is
> > > changed?  On the
> > > same note, do most servers update the last-modified-date when a dead
> > > property is changed?  Does Webdav want to take a stand one
> > > way or another?
> > >
> > >
> > > Curious,
> > > Kevin
> > >
> >
>
> --
> Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/
>
>

Received on Friday, 18 February 2000 15:54:50 UTC