Re: [search-ws] [Issue] Search response can only return XML records

[Farrukh Najmi <farrukh@wellfleetsoftware.com>]

Ray Denenberg, Library of Congress wrote:
>> OK, I mean we define a new Record Schema - called binary object, which
>> looks something like
>>
>> <ns:binaryObject xmlmime:contentType="...">...</ns:binaryObject>
>>     
>
>
> And this schema would in general not be used standalone but rather imported
> into other schemas. Or we could just define it as an element in one of our
> namespaces.
>
>   
>>> If a record is supposed to carry, say, a
>>> photo,
>>> then the schema for that record will know that, and it will define the
>>> appropriate element(s), using the xmlmime namespace as above.  Why do
>>> we
>>> need to define anything?
>>>       
>> It would cover the case when the record itself is binary object rather
>> than contains binary objects.
>>     
>
> No I think it would serve either purpose.
>
> So it seems to me that the entire problem is solved by defining this one
> element (or schema).
>
> What are we missing?
>
>   

What I had originally proposed is that the spec needs to define some 
sort of standard mechanism for returning non-XML Objects.
I did not claim this was a *big* or *complex* problem to solve.

A wrapper element schema such as suggested by Matthew above is precisely 
such a mechanism. However, there are other mechanism's possible as well:

    * Using links to content rather than returning the actual content.
      This is the ATOM and REST way
    * Using a schema which defines a OO type hierarchy and a
      substitution group at the head of the type hierarchy to allow for
      a more OO and extensible solution


-- 
Regards,
Farrukh

Web: http://www.wellfleetsoftware.com