Re: latest Catalog XML

Quoting Ethan Davis <address@hidden>:

> 
>The first item seems quite minor but would actually move some complexity
> back
> into the catalog element that we recently removed for various reasons.
> 

I am trying to keep you from making a mistake.

> The second item we addressed by allowing service elements to contain
> property
> elements. Doesn't capture the full semantics of what you are trying to
> convey
> but a stop-gap measure while we work on this further.
> 
> 

I do not understand what you are saying here.   If suffix is not a standard part
of a service call, then clients will not know how to construct a url out of a
base, middle, and suffix -- if they cannot construct the urls, then compound
services cannot be centrally specified and referenced multiple times below.

My example:

http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/thredds.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE catalog SYSTEM "http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/thredds.dtd";>
<catalog>
<service ID="IngridDataset" serviceType="Compound"
base="http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/";> 
<service serviceType="DODS" suffix="dods"/>
<service serviceType="Catalog" suffix="thredds.xml"/>
</service>
<collection name="LEVITUS94">
<attribute name="fullname" value="LEVITUS94"/>
<access serviceID="IngridDataset" urlPATH="SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/"/>
<attribute name="references" value="Conkright:etal1994 Levitus:Boyer1994a
Levitus:etal1994 Levitus:Boyer1994c"/>

<documentation>LEVITUS94:  World Ocean Atlas 1994, an atlas of objectively
analyzed fields of major ocean parameters</documentation>

<documentation
xlink:href="http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.dataset_documentation.html"/>
<documentation
xlink:href="http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.oceanviews.html";
title="oceanviews"/>
<documentation
xlink:href="http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.oceanviews2.html";
title="oceanviews2"/>
<documentation
xlink:href="http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.Zmix.html";
title="Zmix"/>
<dataset name="ANNUAL">
<access serviceID="IngridDataset" urlPATH="SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.ANNUAL/"/>
</dataset>
<dataset name="MONTHLY">
<access serviceID="IngridDataset" urlPATH="SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.MONTHLY/"/>
</dataset>
<dataset name="SEASONAL">
<access serviceID="IngridDataset" urlPATH="SOURCES/.LEVITUS94/.SEASONAL/"/>
</dataset>
</collection>
</catalog>


Each access specifies part of the url:  the suffix and base are necessary to
complete the url.   Compound services are not useful otherwise.


> 
> Considering this is the current DTD acceptable to you till the next round
> of
> changes?
> 


No, it is not.   Until I can reference usefully a compound service, I will be
unable to use the standard.


Benno