[Zope3-dev] Re: Better access to APIs in paths (was Re: needingviewsclues - template/title troubles)

Tue, 25 Feb 2003 15:49:31 -0500

Jim Fulton wrote:
> Eric Roby wrote:
> 
>> We are using Zope as our foundation for developing Semantic Web solutions
>> which entail developing/managing/distributing knowledge bases.  
>> Working with
>> namespaces is crutial.  Currently, we develop these ontologies (abstract
>> classes) outside of Zope, export them as RDF-S ( our data model) , run 
>> them
>> through a python application which translates the RDF-S into python 
>> classes
>> which are hosted within Zope as a product.  We are about to begin merging
>> ontologies to make new ontologies which means that we now have multiple
>> namespaces to deal with.  All these details of multiple namespaces is 
>> hidden
>> by the Zope product.  We intend to be able to leverage inference engine
>> search technology and to do that we need to be able to publish the 
>> instance
>> data back out as RDF, OWL and DAML-OIL. These are currently just 
>> handled as
>> views via controllers.  In addition, we also have to be able to 
>> geospatially
>> enable the knowledge bases.  This requires adding (yet) another namespace
>> based on GML (Geography Mark-up Language). Namespaces are crutial...
>>
>> The point of this ramble is that I think Shane is right-on here... xml
>> namespaces must be able to be handled in the most natural way possible.
>> dc:title or FGDC:title or FGDCBII:title makes absolute sense to anyone
>> involved with Semantic Web.  I don't know enough about Zope 3 to 
>> understand
>> if it will make our efforts more productive in this regard.  The 
>> notion of
>> being able to create API's specific to namespaces we develop sounds very
>> intriguing.  Part of our efforts goes into developing validation 
>> methods to
>> provide element level quality control.  Unless I am mis-interpreting the
>> context of this whole thread - our QC methods could be roled up and 
>> exposed
>> to our knowledge bases as an API.  Am I totally out to lunch here???
> 
> 
> So let me get this straight. Given what you obviously know about xml
> namespaces, you are telling me that you woould find it natural to see 
> something
> like this:
> 
>   <body tal:namespace="dc zope://zope.app.dublincore">
>      ...
> 
>      <p tal:content="dc:title">Title here</p>

That should have been:

      <p tal:content="context/dc:title">Title here</p>

> 
>      ...
> 
>   </body>
> 
> Notice that the connection with xml namespaces is pretty superficial:
> 
> - The namespace prefix is applied inside an attribute value
> 
> - The namspace is declared with a tal attribute, not an xml namespave
>   attribute.
> 
> Also note that this has nothing whatsoever to do with supporting xml
> namespaces.
> 
> Jim
> 

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