[SOAP Encoding Issue] Most to least specific encodingStyles, HOW?

Issue

SOAP uses encodingStyle attribute to indicate the encoding rules used for
serializing parts of a SOAP message. encodingStyle attribute is a whitespace
delimited list. Each item in the list is type anyURI, XML Schema built-in
type. And, specification says that sets of rules should be listed in the
order most specific to least specific.

First, thus far I have not seen any implementations that support this, "sets
of rules .. most specific to least specific". Have you seen any?

Second, what does it mean when the spec says "most specific to least
specific"? How will a machine figure out when to apply what?

Third, per Jacek's e-mail [2], encodingStyle attribute implicitly specifies
a data model - say object-graph data model, RDF, UML, etc. What does it mean
to say that the data model appears as "most specific to least specific"? mm
.. it is a changing data model. isn't it?

Fourth, encodingStyle has a scope. Its scope is its owner element and that
element's descendents. The scope of encodingStyle is similar to the scope of
default namespace declarations. Using this feature, it is possible to
specify different specific encodingStyle at various element information
items in the SOAP message. If so, is there a need for specifying "most
specific to least specific" at one element information item when the same
thing can be achieved by specifying just one encodingStyle at various
element information items?

I request the ETF to investigate the following,

(a) Is there a need for "most specific to least specific" encoding rules and
changing data models?
(b) Does the scope of the encodingStyle attribute solve the same problem?
(c) For interoperability reasons, how can we better articulate this feature
using more prose, details and examples?
(d) How does the "most specific to least specific" encoding rules measure
against our requirements and charter "a mechanism for serializing data
representing non-syntactic data models in a manner that maximizes the
interoperability of independently developed Web applications" [3]

[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-soap12-part1-20011002/#soapencattr
[2] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/xml-dist-app/2001Oct/0192.html
[3] http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-xmlp-reqs-20010319/#N400

Regards,

Asir S Vedamuthu

webMethods, Inc.
703-460-2513 or asirv@webmethods.com
http://www.webmethods.com/

Received on Tuesday, 30 October 2001 09:27:17 UTC