From: Michael Lake (mikel_at_speleonics.com.au)
Date: Sat Feb 17 2001 - 15:57:03 CET
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Thrun Robert IHMD wrote:
> On Wednesday, February 07, 2001 1:06 PM, Roger Schuster said:
> > Do you see the difference? We will have serious problems with
> > station names: Some software allows alphanumeric names, other
> > allows only numeric values (CaveRender, Toporobot AFAIK). Some
> > programs do support station names up to eight characters long,
> > others even twelve or more. Some programs use combined names for
> > stations (survey+station), others doesn't. And so on.
>
> Although one of the supposed purposes of CaveXML is to facilitate
> the exchange of data between programs, this is the first message on
> the CaveXML mailing list that actually mentions one of the problems
> in exchanging survey data.
This is the way I see it: lets take station names as an example.
We should come up with an XML format that does not constrain authors in
what they can use for station names (so for instance using IDs is out as
they have to start with a letter).
If we export from a survey program that uses alphanumeric values up to
100 characters long then we store it in XML as <stn
name="gwynwellan2354"/> etc. Any other program that is limited to say
numeric only or 8 letters or less must workout for itself how to import
this. Remember this will only occur if importing via XML from another
program. If importing from XML that was exported by the same program
there will not be any problem.
If a program needs survey+station then its up to that author to take:
<survey name=main>
<stn name="A1"/>
<stn name="A2"/>
</survey>
and convert this to main.A1, main.A2 etc or whatever is needed.
Roger Schuster said
> How should we ever import a xml file created with Walls (only an example)
> into a software which can't handle alphanumeric station names?
.....
> open the door for misunderstandings: Is station AB11 the same as 5/11 after
> the data are transfered from Walls to Toporobot? Somebody who does look on
> two maps of the same cave wouldn't understand that both of them are based on
> the same data but generated with different pieces of software.
But once imported, say from Walls into say a program called
SimpleSurveyor, and converted to numeric numbers you have the same as if
you had used SimpleSurveyor to enter your data from the start. I dont
see the problem. Users have to realise that cave survey formats are not
going to be perfectly transferable all the time from program to program
via XML or anything.
Devin said:
> If an application doesn't understand what it is receiving then
> it must modify what it receives into something in can
> understand.
I agree with Devin.
> Or, since this was said in the context of long station names, how
> is the importing program supposed to convert a station name like
> Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch to
Are you making some comment about Welsh cavers survey names? :-)
> something that it can understand? Use the first n characters?
> The last n characters? Or take a chunk out of the middle?
Up to the program importing the data from XML to work this out.
What I am getting at is this. We can design the XML format we come up
with to cater for as many survey programs as possible and as much of
their formats as we can but we can't take it too far and put in too many
restrictions in the XML. Fortunately we have many survey program authors
on this group so we should have a good chance to satisfy everyone to
some extent. But eventually there will be some limitation that the
program author will have to content with themselves if they want their
program to be able to import/export CaveXML.
Mike
-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Lake Active caver, Linux enthusiast and interested in anything technical. Safety Convenor, Australian Speleological Federation Owner, Speleonics (Australia) --------------------------------------------------------------------
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