Re: MUST a collection be returned as an Atom feed?

[Jan Algermissen <algermissen1971@xxxxxxx>]

On Dec 28, 2009, at 5:49 PM, Joe Gregorio wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 11:32 AM, Jan Algermissen
> <algermissen1971@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > >

[...]

> > Rephrasing the question:
> >
> > Whay is the sentence "Collections are represented as Atom Feeds" in  
> > RFC
> > 5023?
> >
> > Is it a MUST requirement for AtomPub servers?
>
> Yes.

That is what I understood from the spec. Thanks.

What is your reaction to the following?

Given it is a MUST requirement, it can be said that clients can make  
the assumption to receive an Atom feed document as the response to a  
GET request to an AtomPub collection resource. Yes?

If so, that means the client can make assumptions about the next  
available links (state transitions) after receiving the response to  
the GET request. E.g. it knows there will be links to member resources  
in the feed. Yes?


If so, doesn't that violate RESTs hypermedia constraint because RFC  
5023 enables the client to make design time assumptions about the  
state machine provided by the service? Shouldn't the client allways  
just discover the available transitions instead of assuming them?

Jan

(Please excuse me if you think this is nit picking. I am not just  
trying to be difficult)







> > (Or a SHOULD or a hint to client developers?)
> >
> >
> > Or, rephrasing again:
> >
> > Could the sentence "Collections are represented as Atom Feeds" be  
> > removed
> > from RFC 5023 without consequences?
>
> No it could not be removed, RFC 5023 is the Atom Publishing  
> Protocol, it's about
> publishing using Atom Feed and Entry documents.
>
> You could remove it and let the client try to guess the media-type
> of the resources, or work with a range of media-types, such as JSON,  
> HTML
> and Atom, which might be an interesting experiment, but it wouldn't  
> be AtomPub.
>
>   Thanks,
>   -joe
>
> > Why is it in there at all?
> >
> >
> >
> > Jan
> >
> > P.S. I am using that sentence as a stripped down example of a point  
> > I am
> > trying to make. No intention to discuss/question RFC 5023 in  
> > particular.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > Nikunj Mehta
> > > http://blog.o-micron.com
> >
> > --------------------------------------
> > Jan Algermissen
> >
> > Mail: algermissen@xxxxxxx
> > Blog: http://algermissen.blogspot.com/
> > Home: http://www.jalgermissen.com
> > --------------------------------------

--------------------------------------
Jan Algermissen

Mail: algermissen@xxxxxxx
Blog: http://algermissen.blogspot.com/
Home: http://www.jalgermissen.com
--------------------------------------