Issue - 270 - Copying a message variable with uninitialized parts

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Issue - 270 - Copying a message variable with uninitialized parts

Status: received
Date added: 26 Apr 2006
Date submitted: 25 April 2006
Submitter: Mark Ford
Description: Does a copy operation which copies a source message variable to a target message variable throw a bpel:uninitializedVariable if one of the parts in the source message is uninitialized? 
<copy> 
   <from variable="messageA"/> 
   <to variable="messageB"/> 
</copy> 

Submitter's proposal: After reviewing Section 8 I think it could go either way. If one were to treat the copy operation as "reading" the part then Section 8.1 says that it should throw. If this copy operation is not considered a "read" of the part, then Section 8.4.2 indicates that we would not throw.

Section 8.1 states:

> An attempt during process execution to read a variable or, in the case of a message type variable, a part of a variable before it is initialized MUST result in the standard bpel:uninitializedVariable fault.

Section 8.4.2 states:

> When the from-spec and to-spec of a <copy> operation both select WSDL message variables, the value of the from-spec message variable MUST be copied, becoming the value of the to-spec message variable.

If the intention is to allow the copying of the uninitialized parts then this should be made explicit in Section 8.4.2. If this is not the intention, then perhaps reiterating the uninitialized fault in Section 8.4.2 is sufficient to make this clear.
Changes: 26 Apr 2006 - new issue

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