Re: [topicmaps-comment] mapping topic maps on a relation database

["Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@comcast.net>]

[Danny Ayers]

> Anyway, apart from niggles, it's looking very good. I've been looking
> forward (when time permits) to having a play with TM code, but the
prospect
> of coding the API from the specs didn't appeal, so thanks guys!
>

One thing that I have found important in the design of the API.  To make it
possible for a person to select something, say a topic, you need a readable
name or label, but you probably want to use an id in method calls.  So you
need to be able to use ids as parameters in methods, and also make it easy
to get names or labels given the ids.

Also, for use over the Web you won't be sending object references, but only
strings like ids.  So even if you implement your system with objects, you
need to be able to use ids of one kind or another for practical UIs.  They
wouldn't necessarily have to be the xtm ids, you could generate an object id
for each object you create and use that, but you need some such ability.

You also need to figure out how to list (in a human-readable form) something
that does not have a name, like an association or occurrence, if you expect
it to be selectable.

Cheers,

Tom P