Simple search API proposal, take 2

[Jamie McCracken]

Joe Shaw wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Thu, 2007-01-11 at 11:48 +0100, Mikkel Kamstrup Erlandsen wrote:
>> Query (in s query_string, in as requested_properties, out s query_handle)
> 
> Is the idea here that the query will actually be run when Query is
> called, or is there just some server-side preparation for it?

just prep I hope - the idea is it will return a query handle for use in 
other methods

> 
>> CountHits (in s query_handle, out i count)
>>
>> GetHitProperties (in s query_handle, in i offset, in i limit, out
>> a{sa{sas}} response )
> 
> Then these calls would be racy, because the index could change between
> calls.  I believe you want the query to run on demand, however, because
> of the limit passed in.

yes this should run the query

although its actually now:
GetHitProperties ( in s query_handle, in i offset, in i limit, in as 
properties, out a{sa{sas}} response )

see page:
http://wiki.freedesktop.org/wiki/WasabiSearchSimple

note the extra properties field where you pass an array of metadata 
field names you want returned

the only thing I dont like is snippets now being a property in the above 
- I would want to get these individually and I suspect likewise for Beagle?

> 
> Could you define what the a{sa{sas}} map is?

it should probably be a{sv} where s is the uri and v is the variant 
holding an array of metadata values for that uri (the order of the 
metadata fields will match the fields specified in the properties array)

> 
> I think you probably also want an API where you just get a list of URIs;
> sometimes that's all you care about.  (This is a weakness in the Beagle
> API, and one which we're going to be fixing.)

yes definitely - if the properties array above is empty it should just 
fetch uri.



-- 
Mr Jamie McCracken
http://jamiemcc.livejournal.com/