I am afraid that my point is not understood. It is all quite simple. We only have to agree
that, when I publicise my base-url, others only have to stick the SRU request after it,
without worrying about my cgi script. So it is up to everyone' s own implementation how
their base-url looks like but the client should never put the "?" between the base-
url and the request.
One server might prefer http://someurl/database? as base-url, the other might prefer
http://someurl?database&. The client doesn't have to be aware of the difference.
It is important to realize that this is different from using local parameters! Local x-
parameters are actually used and known as parameters by the clients. The parameters
before the "?" are not to be USED by clients as parameters but are just a fixed part of
the base-url.
Theo
On 23 Dec 2003 at 12:40, Matthew J. Dovey wrote:
> Ah, now I see.
>
> I'd refrained from diving in since I wasn't sure what was being asked
> for.
>
> I don't really like it - strictly speaking (as I understand it) CGI
> scripts aren't sensitive (or meant to be sensitive) to the order of
> parameters after the ? i.e.
>
> http://someurl?param1=stuff¶m2=stuff
>
> And
>
> http://someurl?param2=stuff¶m1=stuff
>
> Would normally have the same behaviour.
>
> I'd prefer to see a url of the form:
>
> http://someurl/database?version=1.1&operation=searchRetrieve...
>
> Agreed this involves a little more parsing of the URL (this would
> actually be fairly trivial for a Java servlet, but perhaps more complex
> for a perl script - another example of toolkit as impediment!).
>
> However, we have a mechanism for adding server specific parameters would
> could be used here?
>
> Matthew
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Z39.50 Next-Generation Initiative [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> > On Behalf Of Theo van Veen
> > Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 11:10 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Betr.: Re: SRU examples
> >
> > No, I'm not talking about parameters before the "?". I'm talking about
> > the possibility that the base-url contains parameters, but after "?".
> >
> > For example a base-url like:
> >
> > http://myserver.com/my-cgi/mysrw.pl?database=abc&
> >
> > The client can stick the request after the base-url without having to
> > know that "database=abc" is a parameter. This implies that the "?" is
> > part of the base-url and should not be added again.
> >
> > Theo
> >
> >
> >
> > >>> [log in to unmask] 12/22 11:19 >>>
> > LeVan,Ralph wrote:
> >
> > >Has anyone noticed that Theo is talking about parameters before the
> > '?' and
> > >Eliot is talking about them after the '?'.
> > >
> > >I don't think you get to stick parameters in front of the '?'.
> > >
> > >
> > Yep. We want parameters after ?. Just like forms/CGI has worked for
> > the
> > last 10 years.
> >
> > -- Adam
> >
> > >Ralph
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: Theo van Veen [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> > >Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 9:56 AM
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: Re: SRU examples
> > >
> > >
> > >This is OK. It is not the intention to have official SRU parameters
> > to
> > >preceed "?". It is
> > >just that it should be possible to have parameters being part of the
> > >base-url without the
> > >client being aware of that parameters and in such a case the base-url
> > may
> > >end with
> > >"&" rather than "?". An SRU request is in my opion baseurl
> > + request.
> > The
> > >base-url is
> > >a given thing and the request is build by the client. The
> > operation is
> > part
> > >of the SRU
> > >request and therefore a client has to be aware that parameter.
> > >
> > >Theo
> > >
> > >
> > >On 22 Dec 2003 at 14:48, Janifer Gatenby wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>Here is a new version of SRU examples taking into account comments
> > by
> > >>
> > >>
> > >Ralph
> > >
> > >
> > >>and Matthew on 19th December. Currently the "?" precedes operation
> > in the
> > >>URL. I realise that this may in fact change again following Eliot's
> > and
> > >>Theo's comments. Regardless of where it is finally put, we
> > should add
> > some
> > >>explanatory text in the SRU URL access mechanism document.
> > >>
> > >>Janifer
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
