[sc34wg3] CTM: Proposal for %mergemap directive

[Lars Marius Garshol]

* Jirka Kosek
>
> Well, CTM should be syntax for conveying and authoring topic maps not
> new scripting language which can exec shell commands.

The real problem with this is that the whole point of CTM is that it's  
supposed to be a standard, and for it to really be a standard all  
parts of it have to be defined. Either that, or it's not really a  
standard.

Yes, we could have an extension mechanism. I'm not sure there is much  
point, though.

> But nothing prevents you from using custom URI schemes like:
>
> %mergemap x-rho-exec:cat+people.txt+|+awk+'{+magic+here}'

My thoughts exactly. So there you have one (ugly) extension mechanism  
already in the current draft.

Furthermore, there's no obvious reason why this has to be *inside* the  
CTM file. I think a language for doing the sorts of things Robert is  
referring to here would be a good idea (and Lutz Maicher already  
proposed something along those lines, as did Ontopia, and Robert), but  
it doesn't need to be in CTM. It could just as well be a separate  
language that pulls in shell commands, CTM files, etc. That seems  
cleaner to me.

--Lars M.