[xacml] Trivial matter

[Tim Moses <tim.moses@entrust.com>]

Title: Trivial matter

WARNING: If you are irritated by trivial matters, reading this may injure your health.

We should call the <SubjectAttributeDesignatorWhere> element <SubjectQualifier>.  If you need further convincing, read on.

I recognize at least two styles for naming elements, attributes, etc.: the "descriptive" style and the "literate" style.  In the "descriptive" style, the name is chosen in an attempt to reflect the semantics of the element.  In the "literate" style, the name is chosen in an attempt to make the "source" "read".  I contend that we have almost exclusively chosen the descriptive style.  Consider the XML attribute "FunctionId".  If we had been following the literate style, we would have chosen the name "Function".  Then the Apply element would read ...

<Apply Function ...
instead of ...
<Apply FunctionId ...

I think either style would be acceptable (although both Polar and I have declared that we never want to read an XACML policy in its native form).  But, I would like us to be consistent in our application of a single style.

Therefore, I propose that we use the descriptive style of naming and that we choose <SubjectQualifier> instead of <SubjectAttributeDesignatorWhere>.  It has the additional benefit of being half the size.

I also considered <SubjectSelector>, but thought that was too similar to <SubjecAttributeSelector>.

Anyway.  That's it.  All the best.  Tim.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Moses
613.270.3183