ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC34 N (no official status)

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC34

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Document Description and Processing Languages

TITLE: The HTTPGET 1.1 Topic Map Application Definition
SOURCE: Steven R. Newcomb
PROJECT: Topic Maps
PROJECT EDITORS: Michel Biezunski, Martin Bryan, Steven R. Newcomb
STATUS: Editor's Draft, Revision 1.1
ACTION: For review and comment
DATE: 23 April 2003
SUMMARY:
DISTRIBUTION: SC34 and Liaisons
REFER TO:
SUPERCEDES:
REPLY TO: Dr. James David Mason
(ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 Chairman)
Y-12 National Security Complex
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http://www.y12.doe.gov/sgml/sc34/sc34oldhome.htm

Ms. Sara Hafele Desautels, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 Secretariat
American National Standards Institute
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Tel: +1 212 642-4937
Fax: +1 212 840-2298
E-mail: sdesaute@ansi.org

23 April 2003

JTC 1/SC 34 N (no official status)

The HTTPGET 1.1 Topic Map Application Definition

Version 1.1, 2003/04/23
Go to http://www.isotopicmaps.org/TMMM/HTTPGET-latest.html to view or contribute to the current editors' working revision.

Table of Contents

0 Introduction
1  Scope
2  References
3  Application Name
4  Included TM Application Definitions
5  Property Classes
5.1 IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress
5.2 IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream
5.3 IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ }
6  Assertion Types
6.1 IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet
6.2 IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_subjectIndication
7  Built-in Topics and Assertions
7.1 In support of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet assertion type:


0    Introduction

The best available introduction to this document is ISO/IEC JTC1 SC34/WG3 N0393.

The Topic Map Application defined by this document is designed to be included as a module in other Topic Map Applications, thus serving as a portion of the logical and semantic foundation of all topic maps that conform to such Topic Map Applications.

The following naming conventions are used in this TM Application Definition:


1   Scope

This document defines a "Topic Map Application" as that term is defined in ISO/IEC JTC1 SC34/WG3 N0393.

This TM Application Definition defines properties, assertion types, built-in topics, and merging rules for specifying topics whose subjects are:

  1. HTTP addresses,

  2. streams, and fragments of streams, returned by HTTP GET processes,

  3. relationships between HTTP addresses and the streams returned by HTTP GET processes that use them,

  4. interpretations by human beings of streams returned by HTTP GET processes, as to the subjects such streams are meant to indicate, and

  5. relationships between streams returned by HTTP GET processes and the interpretations that human beings make of them as to the subjects they are meant to indicate.

Note 1: 

Figure 1:

The following diagram is provided as an aid to the reader's understanding of the scope of this Topic Map Application module.

Summer vacation subject, yielded by human interpretation of a subject which is a document about the vacation, which in turn is yielded by an HTTP GET operation on a subject which is a URI.

The above diagram shows two assertions, each of a type which is defined in this document, as parts of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1 Topic Map Application.

The assertion on the right is of type IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet, while the assertion on the left is of type IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_subjectIndication. The subject of the x-topic at the far right is a URI; its IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress property (which is herein defined as a Subject Identity Discriminating Property, or SIDP) has the URI as its value. The instance of the AT_httpGet assertion (the assertion on the right) confers a subject on the x-topic in the middle of the diagram; the subject of the x-topic in the middle is the data stream that results from an HTTP GET operation, using the URI that is the subject of the x-topic at the far right. The data stream that is the subject of the x-topic in the middle happens to be an HTML document whose title is "My Summer Vacation". The AT_httpGet assertion confers the URI as the value of the middle x-topic's IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress SIDP.

The assertion on the left is of type IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_subjectIndication. It confers a subject on the x-topic at the far left; that subject is supposed to be the summer vacation that a human reader would learn about by reading the HTML document that is the subject of the x-topic in the middle of the diagram. (The drawing with the sailboat is supposed to represent the summer vacation itself to viewers of this diagram.) The x-topic on the left has, as part of the value of its IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ } SIDP, the x-topic at the middle of the diagram. This member of the set of topics that comprises the value of the PR_subjectIndicators{ } property is conferred by the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_subjectIndication assertion. In other words, the x-topic in the middle of the diagram, and the topic that is shown as a dot in the set that is the value of the PR_subjectIndicators{ } property of the x-topic on the left, are exactly the same topic.



2   References

ISO/IEC JTC1 SC34/WG3 N0393

IETF RFC 2396: Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax

IETF RFC 2732: Format for Literal IPv6 Addresses in URLs

IETF RFC 2616: Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1


3   Application Name

The name of the TM Application defined in this document is IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1


4   Included TM Application Definitions
Note 2: 

The TM Applications listed below are included, by this reference, in their entirety, in this IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1 TM Application. See ISO/IEC JTC1 SC34/WG3 N0393.


IS13250-TMASD-1.1

IS13250-SETS-1.1


5   Property Classes

5.1   IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress

Value type: string

Semantic: If a value has been assigned to this property, the subject of the topic is the string that is value of the property, considered as an HTTP address.

Constraints on values: The value must be suitable for use as the addressing parameter of an HTTP GET process. The value is not suitable if an HTTP GET returns an error or an empty data stream.

Consistency constraints: (None.)

SIDP or OP? SIDP

Topic Merging Rule: Whenever two or more topics both exhibit values for their IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress properties, the topics must be merged if both of the following conditions are met:

  1. Under the rules for URI interpretation specified in IETF RFC 2396: Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax, as modified in IETF RFC 2732: Format for Literal IPv6 Addresses in URLs, the two values must be regarded as identifying the same resource; and

  2. Either both values include the same fragment identifier, or neither value includes a fragment identifier.

Effect of merging on values: Whenever two or more topics that exhibit values for their IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress properties are merged, one of the two values must become the value of the same property of the merged topic. If one of the two values is a built-in value, the built-in value becomes the value of the same property of the merged topic.


5.2   IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream

Value type: string

Semantic: The value is a string considered as an HTTP address. If a value has been assigned to this property, the subject of the topic is the stream of characters, if any, that either has resulted or will result from doing an HTTP GET on the value in some processing context and at some point in time. If a fragment identifier is included in the address, the subject is the specified fragment of the stream returned by the HTTP GET process.

Constraints on values: The value must be suitable for use as the addressing parameter of an HTTP GET process.

Consistency constraints: (None.)

SIDP or OP? SIDP

Topic Merging Rule: Whenever two or more topics both exhibit values for their IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream properties, the topics must be merged if both of the following conditions are met:

  1. Under the rules for URI interpretation specified in IETF RFC 2396: Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI): Generic Syntax, as modified in IETF RFC 2732: Format for Literal IPv6 Addresses in URLs, the two values must be regarded as identifying the same resource; and

  2. Either both values include the same fragment identifier, or neither value includes a fragment identifier.

Effect of merging on values: Whenever two or more topics that exhibit values for their IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream properties are merged, one of the two values must become the value of the same property of the merged topic. If one of the two values is a built-in value, the built-in value becomes the value of the same property of the merged topic.


5.3   IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ }

Value type: list of topics treated as a set

Semantic: Each of the topics independently indicates the subject. Each must be rendered for human perception, and the human perceiver is then assumed to understand the identity of the subject. It is incumbent upon topic map authors to provide subject indicators that will unambiguously indicate subjects by this means.

Constraints on values: The subject of each topic must be a stream.

Consistency constraints: Each member of the set must indicate the same subject.

SIDP or OP? SIDP

Topic Merging Rule: Whenever two or more topics both exhibit values for their IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ } properties, the topics must be merged if the two values (the two sets) have one or more members in common.

Effect of merging on values: Whenever two or more topics that exhibit values for their IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ } properties are merged, the union of the two sets of topics that are their values becomes the value of the same property of the merged topic.


6   Assertion Types

6.1   IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet

Semantic: Each instance asserts the correspondence between a given HTTP address and the stream that has resulted or will result from an HTTP GET operation on the given HTTP address.


6.1.1   Role: IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_address

Semantic: The HTTP address which, when used as the parameter of an HTTP GET, will result or has resulted in the stream that plays the other role.

Constraints on player: Must be an addressing expression that exhibits a valid value for its IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress property.

(No property values are conferred on the player.)


6.1.2   Role: IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_stream

Semantic: The stream that has resulted or that will result from an HTTP GET on the HTTP address that plays the other role.

Constraints on player: (None.)

Value conferred on the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream property of the role player: The value of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress property of the player of the other role (IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_address) is assigned.


6.2   IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_subjectIndication

Semantic: Each instance asserts that the subject of the topic that plays the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_indicatedSubject role is assumed to be understood by a human perceiver of a rendition of the stream that is the subject of the topic that plays the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_subjectIndicator role.


6.2.1   Role: IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_subjectIndicator

Semantic: A data stream which, when rendered for human perception, indicates to the perceiver of that rendition the subject of the topic that plays the other role.

Constraints on player: Must be a data stream; must exhibit a valid value for its IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream property.

(No property values are conferred on the player.)


6.2.2   Role: IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_indicatedSubject

Semantic: (The subject is assumed to be understood by a human perceiver of a rendition of the data stream that plays the other role.)

Constraints on player: (None.)

Value conferred on the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ } property of the role player: The value of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream property of the player of the other role (IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_subjectIndicator) is assigned.


7   Built-in Topics and Assertions
Note 3: 

This section is not yet complete.



7.1   In support of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet assertion type:

7.1.1   Built-in Topic

Subject: The published subject address of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet assertion type

Built-in value of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpAddress property : http://www.isotopicmaps.org/TMMM/HTTPGET-1.1/HTTPGET-1.1.html#parid0082


7.1.2   Built-in Assertion

Assertion type: IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet, the built-in topic defined in 7.1.5.

Player of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_address role : The built-in topic defined in 7.1.1.

Player of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_stream role : The built-in topic defined in 7.1.3.


7.1.3   Built-in Topic

Subject: The stream resulting from an HTTP GET of the address that is the subject of the built-in topic defined in 7.1.1.

Built-in value of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_httpStream property : http://www.isotopicmaps.org/TMMM/HTTPGET-1.1/HTTPGET-1.1.html#parid0082


7.1.4   Built-in Assertion

Assertion type: IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_subjectIndication, the built-in topic defined in .

Player of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_subjectIndicator role : the built-in topic defined in 7.1.3.

Player of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::RL_indicatedSubject role : the built-in topic defined in 7.1.5.


7.1.5   Built-in Topic

Subject: The IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::AT_httpGet assertion type.

Built-in member of the value of the IS13250-HTTPGET-1.1::PR_subjectIndicators{ } property : http://www.isotopicmaps.org/TMMM/HTTPGET-1.1/HTTPGET-1.1.html#parid0082