Re: Query parameter separator value

Jonathan Marsh wrote:
> The list of characters allowed [1] in a query (where the {http query
> parameter separator} is utilized) is:
>
>    query         = *( pchar / "/" / "?" )
>    pchar         = unreserved / pct-encoded / sub-delims / ":" / "@"
>    unreserved    = ALPHA / DIGIT / "-" / "." / "_" / "~"
>    pct-encoded   = "%" HEXDIG HEXDIG
>    sub-delims    = "!" / "$" / "&" / "'" / "(" / ")"
>   
sub-delims also contains: "*" / "+" / "," / ";" / "="
"=" seems not right to me as it is already used to separate the 
parameter name from the parameter value.
I am not quite sure about the implications with "+".

> Compiling that down and factoring out % (which can't appear as a single
> character without causing damage) we get:
>
>    ALPHA / DIGIT / "-" / "." / "_" / "~" / "!" / "$" / "&" / "'" / 
>    "(" / ")" / ":" / "@" / "/" / "?"
>   
Adding at least "," and "*" might be a good idea.
I am wondering whether "+" is a practical choice but it may be safer to 
include it.
Otherwise, this list sounds good to me in the wsdl schema.

> I assume these are the query parameter separators that can be used
> effectively.  If we were to restrict the value space of the
> queryParameterSeparater attribute that's the list I would start with.
>
> ALPHA and DIGIT would be the first things I'd dump from the list, but I'm
> not sure I want to start going down the path of deciding which of the
> allowed characters are really useful.
>   
+1
A half-way solution would be, in addition to the schema tightening, to 
state that '&' and ';' are the most natural/used/interoperable options.



> BTW, I recorded this as issue CR156 [1].
>
> [1] http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3986.txt
> [2] http://www.w3.org/2002/ws/desc/5/cr-issues/#CR156
>
> Jonathan Marsh - http://www.wso2.com - http://auburnmarshes.spaces.live.com
>  
>
>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: www-ws-desc-request@w3.org [mailto:www-ws-desc-request@w3.org] On
>> Behalf Of Jean-Jacques Moreau
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 7:41 AM
>> To: Youenn Fablet
>> Cc: www-ws-desc
>> Subject: Re: Query parameter separator value
>>
>>
>> Option 2 would be to add an assertion that the instance data MUST NOT
>> contain the queryParameterSeparator.
>>
>> JJ.
>>
>> Youenn Fablet wrote:
>>     
>>> Reading the specification, it seems that the only constraint on the
>>> separator value is to be a xml string of length 1.
>>> It would therefore be possible to have a separator value that needs to
>>> be %-encoded in the URL (e.g. queryParameterSeparator="é").
>>> I do not know whether that was intended but in this case, the query
>>> string may become ambiguous: if the separator value appears in a
>>> parameter value, it will be %-encoded exactly like the separator
>>> value. It might be safer to restrict the separator value range.
>>>
>>> In any case, the most sensible values are '&' and ';'. Is there any
>>> other obvious possibility?
>>> While '&' is the default value, ';' does not appear AFAIKT neither in
>>> the spec nor in the primer.
>>> It might therefore be good to add a statement that tells a word about
>>> these values, maybe as a SHOULD.
>>> Regards,
>>>    Youenn
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>
>
>
>

Received on Friday, 23 February 2007 08:26:35 UTC