VOSpace-1.0 WSDL and schema

This is a discussion page for the WSDL and schema for the VOSpace-1.0 service.

This is somewhere where we can post proposals for schema and WSDL to enable interested parties to discuss the different versions.

For each version there is a Change request section - please add to this and vote on other suggestions

• +1 if you agree
• -1 if you disagree
• 0 if you have no particular preference

Once we have finalised the WSDL and schema, the final versions will be posted on the main Grid & Web Services page.

The experiments that were on this page have been moved

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News

• Mailing list for discussions of VOStore and associated protocols: vospace@ivoa.net
  Messages archive: http://ivoa.net/forum/vospace/

• Schema discussion page created.

Core schema

This is the main section for schema and WSDL files.

The files for the 1.0 VOSpace release are

• VOSpaceContract-v1.0rc4.wsdl the service WSDL contract
• VOSpaceTypes-v1.0rc4.xsd the XSD schema file containing the XML type definitions.

Version 1.0rc4

• VOSpace-v1.0rc4.zip: Updated to rc4

There is a know problem with this version.

In rc3 we changed Protocol and View params from

    <xsd:element name="param" xsi:type="vos:ParamType">

to use the same type as Node properties

    <xsd:element name="param" xsi:type="vos:PropertyType">

This meant that params were identified by uri rather than a string name.

The original intention was that we would use the fragment symbol '#' to reference the param description within the resource document for the protocol or view.

    <protocol uri="ivo://net.ivoa.vospace/protocols/ftp-get">
        <param uri="#name">
            ....
        </param>
    </protocol>

In this example, the param uri refers to the definition of the name param within the ftp-get protocol resource. The full uri of the param would be ivo://net.ivoa.vospace/protocols/ftp-get#name

However, the latest metadata schema allows more than one protocol or view to be defined in a single resource document.

    <vor:Resource xsi:type="vsp:VOSpaceProtocol">
        ....
        <protocol id="http-get">
            ....
        </protocol>
        <protocol id="ftp-get">
            <param id="name">
                ....
            </param>
        </protocol>
        ....
    </vor:Resource>

This uses one resource document to register all of the vospace protocols as a set, and using the '#' fragment identifier to resolve one protocol within the set.

For example, the full uri for the ftp-get protocol would be ivo://net.ivoa.vospace/protocols#ftp-get

However, this means that we can't use the '#' fragment identifier to refer to a specific parameter within a protocol without overloading its meaning and using it twice. e.g. ivo://net.ivoa.vospace/protocols#ftp-get#name.

I can't see a strong use case for registering params as separate entities outside protocols and views, so we probably don't need a full uri to identifiy a param. In which case, to solve the above problems we might as well change back to using a string key to identify params within protocols and views.

So, next version of the schema will revert to using ParamType for protocol and view params, identified by a string key rather than a uri.

    <xsd:element name="param" xsi:type="vos:ParamType">

Note also that allowing more than one protocol description within one resource document means that we can end up with more than one element with the same id attribute.

    <vor:Resource xsi:type="vsp:VOSpaceProtocol">
        ....
        <protocol id="ftp-get">
            <param id="name">
                ....
            </param>
            <param id="pass">
                ....
            </param>
        </protocol>
        <protocol id="ftp-put">
            <param id="name">
                ....
            </param>
            <param id="pass">
                ....
            </param>
        </protocol>
        ....
    </vor:Resource>

In this example, we have two param elements with id="name" and two param elements with id="pass".

Ideally, the id attributes should be unique within an XML document, so the identifying attribute on param elements should probably be changed to key, matching the way they are used in the main schema.

Version 1.0rc3

vospace-interface-1.0rc3.zip

This matches v0.22 of the specification document.

Version 1.0rc2

• vospace-interface-1.0rc2.zip: vospace-interface-1.0rc2.zip

This release attempts to follow the interface described in version 0.21 of the specification document as closely as possible.

Changes from previous version

• Use namespaces in release candidates that include release number
• Make sure that the naming of operations/parameters more closely matches the written specification
• Remove enumerations for security related types
• Remove enumerations of transport keys
• Remove enumerations of parameter key values
• Remove any idea of callbacks
• Remove the use of ChangeOwner operation

Change Requests

Keep Transports/Formats as separate opertation

-- PaulHarrison - 13 Jun 2006

I agree with adding the new methods. However, this should be changed in the specification first, not the WSDL. Move this to the specification change page.

-- DaveMorris - 16 Jun 2006

Votes

name	vote	comment
DaveMorris	-1	Change the specification document first
GuyRixon	-1	Change spec first

Refactor use of DataObjectReference

This construct was there principally to get round difficulties in specifying the use-case "create a file with a server generated name" before the vos: URI scheme was approved. Not needed any more.

-- PaulHarrison - 16 Jun 2006

Needs to be much clearer what this represents.

-- DaveMorris - 16 Jun 2006

Consider use of Status responses for some operations

Changing the method signatures to return status codes should be defined in the specification first, not the WSDL. Move this to the specification change page.

-- DaveMorris - 16 Jun 2006

Votes

name	vote	comment
DaveMorris	-1	Change the specification document first
GuyRixon	-1	Don't see the need: we have faults for errors conditions

Include WSDL for VO Standard Interfaces

Is the VOSI WSDL finalized?

Votes

name	vote	comment
PaulHarrison	+1	proposer

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Version 1.0rc1

• vospace-interface-1.0rc1.zip: vospace-interface-1.0rc1.zip

This is the first 'official' release candidate of the VOSpace interface definition, and is based on version 0.21 of the specification document, though is known not to follow this document exactly, as there are areas still to be finalized for which the WSDL is the best 'source'.