AW: [tmql-wg] overview query languages

[Stefan Henke]

Hi Robert, hi Steve,
thanks for your helpfull answers.
First, let?s explain in short what I?m trying to do using topic maps in my
thesis. The goal is to provide a framework/interface to access topic maps
that are distributed in a network in a transparent manner. In other words:
applications should be able to access topic maps in a network as it is one
big one. This could be called "topic grid".
For my (current) opinion, the usage of a query language is very helpfully in
this context. Moreover, I think it is also a good "evaluation" of the
benefits of such a query language. What do you think?
Unfortunately, tm4j only supports version 0.1 of tolog. Version 1.0 is quite
powerfull and would satisfy (hopefully) my requirements for a query
language. I had a short look at Zope Topic Maps but couldn?t find any
information if it has any support for a query language. Does anyone of you
know?

Regards,
Stefan

-----Ursprungliche Nachricht-----
Von: Robert Barta [mailto:rho@bigpond.net.au]Im Auftrag von Robert Barta
Gesendet: Samstag, 24. April 2004 12:58
An: Stefan Henke
Cc: tmql-wg@isotopicmaps.org
Betreff: Re: [tmql-wg] overview query languages


On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 06:52:23PM +0200, Stefan Henke wrote:
> - as querying topic maps is a main part of the topic grid, I want to give
an
> overwiew of currently available query lanuages. What do you think about
the
> most important languages: tolog, astma, empolis, toma, tmpath? Except for
> tolog, I couldn?t find implementations of the languages which are
available
> either freely or as open source. Did I miss something or is this right?

Stefan,

You most probably know

  http://www.isotopicmaps.org/tmql/

which should hold the authoritative source for all publicly known
efforts (I am sure there are non-public efforts).

Speaking for AsTMa?, it is mostly implemented as proof-of-concept and
there is also a demo at

  http://astma.it.bond.edu.au/query/

The source code is not yet available, because the whole Perl package
containing it is under complete overhaul (read it is in a mess :-).
Once this is cleaned up it will be checked into sourceforge and moves onto
CPAN.

> Sorry, partly the questions don?t directly refer to TMQL, but I think this
> is the best "meeting place" for all the guys that are touch with query
> languages for topic maps.

Most definitely. Stay here, we take all the help we can get.

Steve answered the other questions.

\rho