See also: IRC log
-> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/2006/09/14-agenda.html
<alexmilowski> pre coffee, only partially present...
Accepted.
-> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/2006/09/07-minutes.html
Accepted.
Possible regrets: Rui
A-13-01: Continued.
A-34-01: Completed
Discussion of draft
<ht> http://www.w3.org/XML/XProc/docs/ED-xproc-20060912/#steps
Henry: I'd like to talk about steps and components
Alex: I'd like to talk about 4.1.3
Henry: I'd like to see if we can't reach consensus before the end of this call.
Alex: I'd like to see about fixing my example too.
Henry: Everything up to 2.1 is fine except that figure 2 needs a transform step at the end, not a validate step
<MSM> also s/rerpesents/represents/
<scribe> ACTION: Norm to fix figure 2 [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2006/09/14-xproc-minutes.html#action01]
<MSM> also s/Definition: A step which contains other steps is called a step containers./...container./
Henry: Steps ought to be bits of
markup; but we talk about step containers which ought to be
about components
... All of sections 2 and 3 don't need any notion of
representation or anything like that
... The introduction of the notion of representation and the
XML level in section 2 is a mistake and you don't stay with
it.
Norm tries to explain his view
Norm: Steps are syntax and some of them have steps inside them. Components get instantiated and some of them contain subpiplines.
Henry: Maybe we can just try to
write the first two sentences of 2.1 without saying anything
about pipeline documents or represents
... You've chosen "component" as the over-arching term.
... Some components are atomic like xslt and atomic and others
are "constructs" or "step containers"
... Except that we have components now so they ought to be
component containers.
... Many components are simple and atomic and correspond to a
single operation. An XSLT component, for example...
... However, some components are containers for other
components...called a container...called contained
components
Alex: Step and step container is
still an abstract concept, it's not just markup.
... Component is something that has to be bound and has to have
all that information.
... I'm not sure that drawing an analogy between the language
constructs and a component is the right thing.
... Components containing components seems awfully technical,
do we really need to go there?
Henry: I like the way the first section reads
<MSM> if a pipeline is a DAG of (atomic) components, then we've got: graphs, subgraphs, and nodes
<Zakim> MSM, you wanted to suggest that the absence of a definition of 'step' is symptomatic of a problem. I'm not entirely certain which problem. But a problem.
Michael: I have an unease similar to Henry's: as a first time reader, I can't tell if step is an abstract unit that may correspond to a subgraph or an XML thing (or both). And so I agree with Henry that there's room for improvement here.
<ht> So, Alex, note in section 1 we have "The standard “choose” component evaluates"
<ht> which reads just fine to me
Michael: Unfortunately, Henry's proposal has a contradition: either components nest and they're similar to blocks in Algol style programming languages *OR* pipelines are DAGs of components.
Henry: I've come to think that
that's not the best way to think about these things.
... At the same time, a component container is a node in one
graph and has a graph inside it.
Michael: Then the definition of pipeline as "a graph" is misleading.
Henry: Look at figure 2. The
Choose box contains a subgraph.
... There are important constraints that are captured naturally
by saying that the nodes are either atomic or contain
subgraphs.
Michael: Then we should say that
the graphs inside are separate.
... Let's talk about it in sort of purely graph terms. I think
there are two ways to tell the graph story.
... One way is to say that the graphs are contained inside and
don't connect.
... Another way is to say that there is a graph that has all
the components in it. The way to view choose is a subgraph of
that larger graph.
... If we think of it in terms of the latter approach, then the
drawing here is not the flat graph either. You need a splitter
node and ajoiner node as well.
... Steps then always correspond to subgraphs; atomic steps
just correspond to a single node.
<Zakim> alexmilowski, you wanted to modify that definition of subgraph
Norm: I prefer the former definition.
Alex: I prefer the latter.
... My model is that there is a single graph. I think of choose
being a node in the graph.
<Zakim> ht, you wanted to point back to the agreement from Ontario
Henry: I'm happy with the first story. I don't understand the second yet.
Henry: Having the language
constructs like choose and for-each be a locus of ports (of
nodes in the graph) and a scope all seem to work well
together.
... It must be the case in some sense that the stories are
isomorphic, but I think the story that's in the document is
much closer to the first story.
Norm proposes to talk about 4.1.3 for a bit as it seems directly relevant to which story we're telling.
Alex: What happens when some
contained step points off to something that it's allowed to
access.
... In 4.1.3 we say that we have some fabricated
declaration.
... It's going to be a mess to report errors.
... It's not helpful to make this thing self contained.
Norm and Alex go back and forth a bit about what the right answer is.
Alex: I see two ways out of this,
allow declare input and actually make 4.1.3 valid against our
current specification and acknowledge that people can do this.
Or have a different model for how we talk about these
things.
... There's an inconsisentency here that bothers me.
... There's a problem with for-each and view-port where you'd
have to be able to tell *which* for-each was the important one
and which are the others.
... Maybe it would be better to draw a picture.
Norm: I propose dropping 4.1.3 for FPWD
Alex: I'd be happy with that, perhaps with the ednote placed somewhere else with more explanation
Resolved, we'll drop 4.1.3 for FPWD
<MoZ> +1 but letting know that the WG will propose shortcut syntax
Henry: My feeling is that I don't
care if we don't settle this question in this WD either.
... I'd like to see slightly more consistency in the story we
tell in parts 2 and 3.
... I'll volunteer to work on a new draft over the weekend.
Proposal: The WG will publish the current draft as the FPWD (with 4.1.3) removed.
So resolved.
<scribe> ACTION: Norm to request permission to publish [recorded in http://www.w3.org/2006/09/14-xproc-minutes.html#action02]
Proposed: If an alternate draft is proposed by close-of-business (Boston time) on Monday, the WG will have until close-of-business Wednesday to veto. If there are no veto's, the alternate draft will be published instead. The only plans for the alternate draft are to improve wording in sections 2 and 3.
Accepted.
Proposed publication date: 28 Sep 2006
Accepted.
None.