RE: [wsrp] custom user profile items broken?

[Andre Kramer <andre.kramer@eu.citrix.com>]

Title: RE: [wsrp] custom user profile items broken?

I was assuming we address the namespace=##other issue with named strings in extensions.

Regards,
Andre

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Jacob [mailto:richard.jacob@de.ibm.com]
Sent: 04 February 2005 09:49
To: Andre Kramer
Cc: wsrp@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: RE: [wsrp] custom user profile items broken?

Andre Kramer <andre.kramer@eu.citrix.com> wrote on 02/04/2005 09:43:19 AM:

> Option (b) would break compatibility with anyone who took the advice
> you summarize as (4) - moving named strings from extension elements
> to a new element.
well, it wouldn't be moving, it would be just an addition.
This would be more convenient for developers.
Another issue here is:
How can we ever use NamedString in the extension since the Extension type
only allows namespace=##other ???
The recommendation we give in 4 doesn't work at all. Every vendor has to
develop its own NamedString.
With tha lack of type declaration possibility we loose interoperability.

>Maybe we should just state that custom profile
> items are indeed usually carried as named strings in extensions.
well in general I would agree, but then the extension is kind of limited to
contain named strings for this purpose to be interoperable (with the
remaining "little" namespace=##other issue above)
In that case I think it would be more convenient to have this directly in
the UserProfile structure.

> And
> this would also lead the extension mechanism to be open to non-
> string types without requiring (a).
don't get this. If the extension is used with a custom type, without the
possibilty to declare it, it's what ít is: an non-interoperable custom
extension like any other one.
In that case 6. doesn't make any sense at all.

> However, guidance on using fully
> qualified names to avoid potential classes would help as always.
definitly.

cheers
Richard

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Jacob [mailto:richard.jacob@de.ibm.com]
> Sent: 03 February 2005 18:00
> To: wsrp@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [wsrp] custom user profile items broken?
> Hi all,
> looking more briefly in the handling of custom profile items it seems to
me
> that it is a little bit confusing and inconsistent.
> 1. ServiceDescription has only ItemDescription for
customUserProfileItems;
> i.e. there is no type definition (like for example in model description)
> 2. PortletDescription only allows the portlet to declare which item names

> (strings) it wants to receive
> 3. RegistrationData only allows the Consumer to declare which custom item

> names it can provide
> 4. in the description of UserProfile we say that we *expect* the custom
> items to be extensions and of type named strings, but they *could* be of
> other types
> 5. there is no "customUserProfileItems" of type namedString[] in
> UserProfile which would fit well with 1,2,3
> 6. In section 13 "User Information" we say "Consumers supplying
additional
> custom profile fields are encourage to publish a similar mapping between
> userProfileItems and the custom fields". For me it reads that Consumers
are
> encouraged to map profile item names to (custom) profile items structure
> they define.
> Bottom line:
> It seems that we are pretty inconsistent there and need either fixing the

> structures or clarification or even both.
> I think there are two options:
> a. enable custom profile items to be of certain types (then we need
qnames,
> type definitions, etc.) - they could be model descriptions
> b. provide a simple name - value pair mechanism where custom profile
items
> can be provided. This would for me basically mean to extend the
UserProfile
> type to contain an additional field "customUserProfileItems" of type
> NamedString[].
> I would prefer b. since I think a. is quite an overkill.
> If we choose b. we need to fix 4. and 6. and user profile items related
> sections.
> I'm happy to receive your opinions :-)
> Mit freundlichen Gruessen / best regards,
>         Richard Jacob
> ______________________________________________________
> IBM Lab Boeblingen, Germany
> Dept.8288, WebSphere Portal Server Development
> WSRP Standardization Technical Lead
> Phone: ++49 7031 16-3469  -  Fax: ++49 7031 16-4888
> Email: mailto:richard.jacob@de.ibm.com
>
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