RE: [xtm-wg] Merging proposals uploaded

["Kal Ahmed" <kal@ontopia.net>]

If you have two topic maps with something like:

<topic id="ab4765>...</topic>
<topic type="#ab4765" ...>...</topic>

and one topic map which refers to the other topic map directly like this:

in both, then by the packaging rules, you end up with
<topic type="http://www.someurl.com/foo/bar.xtm#ab4765" ...>...</topic>

<xtmdoc>

	<redirect tmid="topicmap1"
tmbase="http://www.xyzcorp.com/topicmaps/basic_ontology.xtm"
idprefix="tmA_"/>
	<topicmap id="topicmap1">
		<topic id="tmA_ab4765">...</topic>
		<topic type="ab4765">...</topic>
	</topicmap>

	<redirect tmid="topicmap2"
tmbase="http://www.xyzcorp.com/topicmaps/my_topicmap.xtm" idprefix="tmB_"/>
	<topicmap id="topicmap2">
		<topic id="tmB_ab4765">...</topic>
		<topic type="ab4765">...</topic>
		<topic
type="http://www.xyzcorp.com/topicmaps/basic_ontology.xtm#ab4765">...</topic
>
	</topicmap>

</xtmdoc>

At unpacking time, by reading the tmbase and idprefix attributes, I can
create an internal table that maps any occurrence of
http://www.xyzcorp.com/topicmaps/basic_ontology.xtm to the id prefix "tmA_",
so I know that the external reference in the second topic map in the package
is actually internal to the package and is found in the first topic map.
Also, when processing the ID/IDREFs within a topicmap document in a package,
I will need to prepend the prefix to the IDREF value, so in the first
topicmap, 'type="ab4765"' will be located as "tmA_ab4756" and in the second
map it will be "tmB_ab4765".

BTW, this also works for relative addressing to as tmbase actually declares
the base URL for performing the processing, so the last topic in the second
map could have been encoded as:
<topic type="./basic_ontology.xtm#ab4765">
You would convert that to a fully specified path by applying the relative
path to the tmbase of the topic map which contains the reference, then use
that to determine if you are referring to another packaged topic map.

Forward references can be easily handled by creating a stub topic and
postponing resolution to an external topic map until after the xtmdoc has
been processed in its entirety.

Cheers,

Kal

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Jones [mailto:peterj@wrox.com]
> Sent: 19 October 2000 16:04
> To: 'xtm-wg@egroups.com'
> Subject: RE: [xtm-wg] Merging proposals uploaded
>
>
> sorry, use of URL path was a boob.
>
> but any id string will do.
>
> peter
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Jones [mailto:peterj@wrox.com]
> Sent: 19 October 2000 15:57
> To: 'xtm-wg@egroups.com'
> Subject: RE: [xtm-wg] Merging proposals uploaded
>
>
> >to be useful you still need to be able to make
> >globally (in the scope of xtmdoc) unique identifiers
>
> Yes. my question was, how does your mechanism cope with the case where two
> distinct maps from different contexts both refer to
> id="/foo/bar.xtm#ab4756"
> by pure accident ?
>
> you have to look at the contexts of the two TMs whatever, don't you?
>
> Peter
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kal Ahmed [mailto:kal@ontopia.net]
> Sent: 19 October 2000 15:49
> To: xtm-wg@egroups.com
> Subject: RE: [xtm-wg] Merging proposals uploaded
>
>
> Yes...well, sort of yes - to be useful you still need to be able to make
> globally (in the scope of xtmdoc) unique identifiers, and to resolve
> references between packaged topic maps (without requiring the
> package reader
> to go to the original source of the packaged tm). Hence the
> modifications to
> the content model of xtmdoc. I think that with these modifications (or
> something like them), what you want to do will be possible and I can think
> of usecases where such a facility would be useful. I think my
> real point is
> that **without** those modifications, you would not be really solving the
> packaging problem.
>
> Kal
>
> PS I can see techquila.com becoming a 'topic map merging service' ... send
> me your packages and I'll send you a single merged tm. Now I just have to
> work out a pricing structure ;-)
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Sam Hunting [mailto:sam_hunting@yahoo.com]
> > Sent: 19 October 2000 15:23
> > To: xtm-wg@egroups.com
> > Subject: RE: [xtm-wg] Merging proposals uploaded
> >
> >
> > [kal writes]
> > > 3) A proposal for handling xtmdoc. ... [T]here is also a need for
> > > ensuring that the packaging and unpackaging can actually be done
> > > simply. ... BTW, I feel that packaging tms is a really weak argument
> > > considering that the merging and scoping mechanisms can be trivially
> > > combined to do tm packaging
> >
> > Packaging into xtmdoc is wicked simple, because it could be done with
> > an XML editor, or even a text editor. One could, of course, use the
> > usual entity mechanisms.
> >
> > Contrariwise, packaging TM with a scoping and merging mechanism is not
> > wicked simple, because it cannot be done with an XML editor or text
> > editor.
> >
> > Alternatively, I'm missing some subtle point obvious to all but me.
> >
> > S.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > =====
> > <? "To imagine a language is to imagine a form of life."
> >     -- Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations ?>
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf!  It's FREE.
> > http://im.yahoo.com/
> >
> >
> > To Post a message, send it to:   xtm-wg@eGroups.com
> >
> > To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: xtm-wg-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> To Post a message, send it to:   xtm-wg@eGroups.com
>
> To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: xtm-wg-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
>
>
> To Post a message, send it to:   xtm-wg@eGroups.com
>
> To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: xtm-wg-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
>
>
> To Post a message, send it to:   xtm-wg@eGroups.com
>
> To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: xtm-wg-unsubscribe@eGroups.com
>
>
>


-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
Get FREE long-distance phone calls on Tellme!
Dial 1-800-555-TELL, say "Phone Booth"
http://click.egroups.com/1/9816/4/_/337252/_/971973208/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

To Post a message, send it to:   xtm-wg@eGroups.com

To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: xtm-wg-unsubscribe@eGroups.com