[topicmapmail] Web Services

[Lars Marius Garshol]

* Lars Marius Garshol
|
| Hmmm. This makes sense to me, but couldn't you express all of those
| conditions as queries?

* Jan Algermissen
| 
| Maybe you can....I couldn't, too dumb. 

I'm not convinced that's the problem. :)

| My problem is not related to 'selecting' the list of topics that go
| into the result set (is it a set?)

Unless you care about the order I guess it is.

| but in specifying what information about them is to be returned. But
| I am not arguing against a QL here. If it is possible, I'll be very
| happy.

The current solution we have is tolog + XTM Fragments, which specifies
this. Basically all information about the topic is returned, though I
agree you're unlikely to want that in every case. 

Robert's AsTMa? is intended to let you do this by letting you first
select the topics and then produce a filtered map by including some of
their characteristics. He can probably give more detail than I can.
 
* Lars Marius Garshol
|
| Right. So here you have effectively named queries, instead of exposing
| the query interface directly over the web. We will probably create
| something similar for our TM server product. That is, you can created
| named methods that are implemented with queries, and which can be
| rendered as XTM fragments or in some other way that you specify.

* Jan Algermissen
|
| Stored procedures....?  

In a way, I guess. Or SOAP methods, if you prefer that terminology.

| See my answer to Murray. But still...if since SQL is completely
| declarative I want the same for Topic Maps too ;-)

That's the goal of the TMQL work! That's what we want to achieve!
 
| So, who's defining "Topic Maps Calculus"? ;-)

At the moment only Robert, I think. :)

<URL: http://www.isotopicmaps.org/tmql/astma.pdf >
<URL: http://astma.it.bond.edu.au/astma%3F-spec.dbk?section=7 > 

-- 
Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian         <URL: http://www.ontopia.net >
GSM: +47 98 21 55 50                  <URL: http://www.garshol.priv.no >