[NEW ISSUE] SCA <anyAttribute.../> declarations should use namespace ##otherrather than ##any

[Mike Edwards <mike_edwards@uk.ibm.com>]

(Issue brought forward from OSOA)

Line numbers all refer to the 1.0 SCA
specifications published on www.osoa.org

RAISER:  Mike Edwards

DESCRIPTION:  

Currently throughout the SCA XSDs, attribute extensibility
uses ##any, which means that it is possible to add an attribute on any
of the elements defined by SCA irrespective of the namespace that the new
extensibility attribute belongs to (i.e. ##other or ##local or ##targetnamespace).
This is actually undesirable and it should be replaced with ##other, for
the following reasons: 

   1. symmetry with <any> extensibility elements in
the XSD 

   2. seems to be an evolving best practice for extensibility.
All the WS-* and related specs that I looked at use ##other. For example
SOAP 1.2, WSDL 2.0, WS-RM, WS-Coordination. 

   3. preventing arbitrary use of attributes from SCA namepace
on SCA elements when not explicitly authorized does not seem right. ie.,
disallowing <anyAttribute namespace="##targetnamespace">
is important. SCA defines the element, defines the attribute and therefore
SCA should say where it can or cannot be used. Implementors of extensibility
should get their own attributes. 

   4. That leaves the use of ##local. In most cases attributes
belong to no namespace as they are considered scoped to a specific element
(hence the default value for attributeFormDefault is "unqualified").
I.e., the element QName, to which the attribute is scoped, defines the
meaning of attributes with no namespace. For example, the attribute 'local'
on sca:Composite element. Since the element is defined by SCA, SCA should
control which attributes from no namespace are allowed. Most use of attribute
extensibility uses global attribute decl in a foreign NS. For example,
xml:lang, xml:id, wsu:id etc. It is not clear why someone would want to
extend elements defined by SCA to use an attribute in no namespace. 

PROPOSAL:  Use the ##other declaration
as defined above


Yours,  Mike.

Strategist - Emerging Technologies, SCA & SDO.
Co Chair OASIS SCA Assembly TC.
IBM Hursley Park, Mail Point 146, Winchester, SO21 2JN, Great Britain.
Phone & FAX: +44-1962-818014    Mobile: +44-7802-467431  
Email:  mike_edwards@uk.ibm.com

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