application/sru+xml

I posted a message several days ago suggesting 
that we consider looking at possible changes to the default SRU 2.0 
response, application/sru+xml, to allow arbitrary, foreign (namespaced), 
ignorable elements.   There was no discussion, does that mean nobody 
thinks it's a good idea or that nobody cares?  

 

As of right now the IETF draft ("00")  to 
register several mime types including SRU has expired and I am in the 
process of "negotiating" draft "01" (an unpleasant process, which you'll 
understand if you've ever negotiated with the IETF) and it seems to me that 
this is an opportune time to consider possible tweaks to this format.  

 

 

To begin, at the top level of the schema the 
elements are

    
                
                
            <xs:element 
ref="numberOfRecords" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="resultSetId" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="resultSetIdleTime" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="records" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="nextRecordPosition" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="echoedSearchRetrieveRequest" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="diagnostics" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="extraResponseData" 
minOccurs="0" 
maxOccurs="unbounded"/>

<!—the 
above elements are carried over from SRU version 1.1; the following are new in 
version 2 à

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="resultCountPrecision" 
minOccurs="0" 
maxOccurs="unbounded"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="facetedResults" 
minOccurs="0" 
maxOccurs="unbounded"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="searchResultAnalysis" 
minOccurs="0" 
maxOccurs="unbounded>

 

 

I 
would like to think that we could keep the discussion bounded to the 
<records> element. That is, not try to wedge arbitrary elements 
elsewhere.

 

<records> 
is:

                                
<xs:sequence>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordSchema"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordPacking" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordData"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordPosition" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="extraRecordData" 
minOccurs="0"/>
                                
</xs:sequence

 

My 
first suggestion is to get rid of the element <extraRecordData> and 
replace 

 

                                                
<xs:element ref="extraRecordData" minOccurs="0"/>

with

 

                                                
<xs:any   namespace= 
"##other" minOccurs="0" 
maxOccurs="unbounded"/>

 

 

Next, <record> is:

                                
<xs:sequence>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordSchema"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordPacking" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordData"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="recordPosition" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                                
<xs:element 
ref="extraRecordData" 
minOccurs="0"/>

                                
</xs:sequence>

 

My 
next suggestion is to do the same thing with extraRecordData.

 

Please comment!

 

--Ray