[[TOC]]
= S3XML =

S3XML is a generic RESTful data exchange interface for the S3 framework.

It comes with a genuine XML data format, but also provides built-in data format conversion and transformation to support a variety of custom XML, JSON and CSV formats and schemas.

== Minimum Requirements ==

=== Clients ===

Interfaces which want to exchange data with S3XML interfaces must implement the following:

  - an HTTP client which can perform GET and POST requests
  - the native S3XML data format

''Note:''

  - Where the target interface has built-in support for data format conversion/transformation (as in S3), it is sufficient if the client implements an S3XML-compatible data format (XML, JSON or CSV).
  - S3 comes with a number of built-in transformation stylesheets for some standard data formats. Where other formats shall be used, clients can also provide their own XSLT transformation stylesheets.

=== Servers ===

Interfaces which want to provide S3XML server capabilities (e.g. for Synchronization) must implement the following:

  - an HTTP server interface accepting and performing GET, PUT and POST requests
  - the RESTful API as described in this document
  - the native S3XML data format

Optionally they can provide:

  - JSON/CSV to S3XML conversion
  - S3XML to JSON/CSV conversion
  - XSLT-1.0 transformation

== Conventions ==

=== Name Space ===

Where a name space identifier for the native S3XML format is to be used, it shall be:

  - http://eden.sahanafoundation.org/wiki/S3XML

In the current implementation of S3, no name space identifier shall be used. This is though subject to change in future versions.

=== Character Encoding ===

XML documents to be used for S3XML can specify their character encoding in the XML header.

Where JSON or CSV formats are used, they are expected to be UTF-8 encoded. S3XML interfaces can support other encodings for JSON/CSV, but this is not a requirement.

All exported data are always UTF-8 encoded.

=== URL format ===

Data format extensions in URLs must be all-lowercase. Where uppercase characters are used, they are converted into lowercase.

== Interface ==

S3XML implements the [wiki:S3XRC/RESTfulAPI S3 RESTful API] and its [wiki:S3XRC/RESTfulAPI/URLFormat URL format] to address resources.

=== RESTful Methods ===

The following methods are supported:

  ||'''Method'''||'''Action'''||
  ||GET <resource>||returns the contents of the specified resource||
  ||GET <resource>/fields||returns a ''schema'' document for the resource (without components)||
  ||GET <resource>/options||returns a field options document for the resource||
  ||GET <resource>/create ''without source''||returns a ''schema'' document for the resource||
  ||GET <resource>/create ''with source''||analyzes the source and returns an import job (both creating new and updating existing records), returns a view of the job||
  ||GET <resource>/create ''with job ID''||returns a view of the specified import job||
  ||POST <resource>/create ''with job ID''||updates or deletes the specified job||
  ||GET <resource>/update ''without source''||returns a ''schema'' document for the resource and all of its components||
  ||GET <resource>/update ''with source''||analzes the source and returns an import job (only updating existing records), returns a view of the job||
  ||GET <resource>/update ''with job ID''||returns a view of the specified import job||
  ||POST <resource>/update ''with job ID''||updates or deletes the specified job||
  ||POST <resource> ''with job ID''||commits the specified job to the database||
  ||POST <resource> ''with source''||analyzes the source, creates and import job and commits the job to the database||
  ||PUT <resource> ''with job ID''||commits the specified job to the database||
  ||PUT <resource> ''with source''||analyzes the source, creates an import job and commits the job to the database||

=== Source Submission ===

There are multiple ways to submit source files:

==== Files on the Server ====

A source file in the server file system can be specified using the ''filename'' URL variable:
{{{
PUT http://<server>/<controller>/<resource>?filename=<path>
}}}

Multiple files can be specified as list of comma-separated pathnames:
{{{
PUT http://<server>/<controller>/<resource>?filename=<path>,<path>,<path>
}}}

==== URLs ====

A source file can be specified by its URL using the ''fetchurl'' URL variable:

{{{
PUT http://<server>/<controller>/<resource>?fetchurl=<url>
}}}

Multiple files can be specified as list of comma-separated pathnames:
{{{
PUT http://<server>/<controller>/<resource>?fetchurl=<url>,<url>,<url>
}}}

Supported URL protocols are http, ftp and file, where file is interpreted in the server file system context. URLs of different protocols can be mixed.

The specified URLs must be accessible either without authentication, or (if you specify credentials in the URLs) they must support unsolicited HTTP basic authentication - HTTP 403 retries are not handled by the interface. The URLs must be properly [http://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.asp quoted], and must not contain commas.

==== Request Attachments ====

Source files can also be attached to a multipart-request. In this case the file extension of the source file must match the request URL file extension. Multiple files can be attached.

==== Multiple Sources ====

Where multiple sources are specified or attached, they are first converted and transformed one-by-one and then combined into a single element tree before import.

==== Duplicate Resolution ====

In the current S3 implementation, the interface does not handle duplicates within the same request. This is because the order of elements in the resulting element tree is not defined, and the last update time attribute is optional in source elements, so that there is no predictable rule of precedence.

Records in the source must not be fractionated, but submitted in one element. Fractions of records will not be merged by the interface, and which of the fractions finally would be imported is unpredictable.

Source elements using unique keys are automatically matched with existing records. Where matches are ambiguous (e.g. a set of keys matching multiple existing records), the import element will be rejected as invalid. For certain resources, the server may have additional duplicate finders and resolvers configured. How duplicates are handled by these resolvers, can differ from resource to resource.

The default behavior for duplicate resolution in standard import mode is to update the exiting records with the values from the source record. In synchronization mode, though, the default is to accept/keep the newest data (and the last update time attribute mandatory).

=== Data Format Conversion and Transformation ===

S3XML interfaces may provide built-in codecs to convert and transform the input or output data from/to various data formats:

[[Image(ConversionTransformation.png)]]

The current S3 implementation provides built-in codecs for CSV, XML and JSON formats (PDF with OCR to come).

XSLT stylesheets for the format transformations can be built-in on the server (found by the request URL file extension), or can be specified by the client. The client can use the ''transform'' URL variable to specify the path (on the server file system) or URL of the XSLT stylesheet:
{{{
GET http://<server>/<controller>/<resource>.<extension>?transform=<path_or_url>
}}}

Alternatively, the client can attach the stylesheet to the request body. In this case the stylesheet's file name must be: <resource>.xslt.

The ''transform'' variable overrides any attached or built-in stylesheets, and attached stylesheets override built-in stylesheets. The ''.xml'' request URL extension is reserved for the native S3XML format, and must not use or accept any stylesheets.

== XML Format ==

=== Document Types and Structure ===

S3XML defines 3 types of documents:

==== Schema Documents ====

'''Schema documents''' describe the data schema for a resource. Clients can use these documents e.g. for automatic generation of forms.

Document Tree:
{{{
<s3xml>
  <resource>
    <field>
    ...
    <resource>
      <field>
      ...
    </resource>
  </resource>
</s3xml>
}}}

''Note:''
  - In the current S3 implementation, these documents can only be requested (GET). Future versions may also accept submissions of such documents to update the data schema.

==== Field Option Documents ====

'''Field option documents''' describe the currently acceptable options for fields in a resource. Clients can use these documents e.g. for automatic generation and/or client-side validation of forms.

Document Tree:
{{{
<options>
  <select>
    <option>
    <option>
    <option>
    ...
  </select>
  <select>
    ...
  </select>
  ...
</options>
}}}

''Note:''
  - if the ''field'' URL variable is used to specify a particular field in the resource, the enclosing <options> element is omitted (i.e. <select> becomes root element)
  - In the current S3 implementation, transformation of field option documents is not supported. JSON conversion is possible, though.
  - Field option documents can only be requested (GET). Future versions may also accept submissions of such documents to update the data schema.
==== Data Documents ====

'''Data documents''' provide the current contents (data) of resources.

Document Tree:
{{{
<s3xml>
  <resource> <!-- primary resource element -->
    <data> <!-- field data -->
    <data>
    ...
    <resource> <!-- component resource inside the primary resource -->
      <data>
      <data>
      <reference/> <!-- reference -->
      ...
    </resource>
    <reference/> <!-- reference -->
    <reference> <!-- reference with embedded resource element -->
       <resource>
         <data>
         ...
       </resource>
    </reference>
  </resource>
</s3xml>
}}}

'''Components'''

Component resources are <resource> elements inside of their primary <resource> element.
Component records will be automatically imported and the required key references be added (=no explicit reference-element required).

Foreign key references of component records to their primary record will not be exported, and where they appear in import sources, they will be ignored.

Components of components are not allowed (maximum depth 1), and where they appear in import sources, they will be ignored.

Where components use link-tables and the component record can be linked to multiple parent records (many-to-many) or where the link table entry can carry data (attributed link), the respective link-table record is exported as component <resource> with a forward <reference> to the actual component record, while the component record itself is represented by a separate <resource> element (outside the primary resource).
===== References =====

Foreign key references (except those linking components to their primary record) are represented by <reference> elements.

Foreign keys can be importable UIDs (''uuid''-attribute, which will be both imported and used to find and/or link to existing records in the DB) or temporary UIDs (''tuid''-attribute, which will not be imported but only used to find records within the current tree), If a <resource> element with a matching UID key attribute is found in the same tree, it will be automatically imported.

References inside referenced elements will be resolved (unlimited depth) and also be imported. Circular references will be detected and properly resolved.

Multi-references (list:reference type in web2py) use a list of UID keys separated by vertical dashes like {{{uuid=|uid1|uid2|uid3|}}}. The leading and trailing vertical dashes must be present.

If a <resource> element is embedded inside the <reference>, either or both of the UID keys can be omitted. Where both keys are however used, they must match. Multiple embedded <resource> elements are allowed for multi-references.

=== Element Descriptions ===

==== s3xml ====
||'''Parent elements'''||''none (root element)''||
||'''Child elements'''||[#resource resource]||
||'''Contents'''||''empty''||

The root element.

**Attributes:
||'''Name'''||'''Type'''||'''Description'''||'''mandatory?'''||
||'''domain'''||string||the domain name of the data repository||''no''||

==== resource ====
||'''Parent elements'''||[#s3xml s3xml], [#resource resource], [#reference reference]||
||'''Child elements'''||[#resource resource]||
||'''Contents'''||''empty''||

Represents a record.

**Attributes:
||'''Name'''||'''Type'''||'''Description'''||'''mandatory?'''||
||'''name'''||string||the name of the resource, usually the DB table name||''yes''||
||'''uuid'''||string||a unique identifier for the record||''no''*||
||'''tuid'''||string||a temporary unique identifier for the record||''no''*||

(*) Records will be identified within the input file by their {{{uuid}}}, or, if no {{{uuid}}} is specified, by their {{{tuid}}}.

The {{{uuid}}} will be stored in the database together with the record. If {{{uuid}}} is present and matches an existing record in the database, then this record will be updated. If there's no match or no {{{uuid}}} specified in the {{{resource}}} element, then the importer will create a new record in the database (and automatically generate a {{{uuid}}} if required).

==== data ====
||'''Parent elements'''||[#resource resource]||
||'''Child elements'''||''none (leaf element)''||
||'''Contents'''||Text||

Represents the value of a single field in the record.

**Attributes:
||'''Name'''||'''Type'''||'''Description'''||'''mandatory?'''||
||'''field'''||string||the field name in the record||''yes''||
||'''value'''||JSON value||the native field value||''no''||
||'''url'''||URL||the URL to download the contents from*||''no''||
||'''filename'''||filename||the filename of the attached contents*||''no''||

The text node in the {{{data}}} element provides a human-readable representation of the field value. If this representation is different from the original value in the database, then the original value must be provided by the ''value'' attribute.

(*) If the field is for file upload, a {{{url}}} attribute should be provided to specify the location of the file. The importer will try to download and store the file (file transfer) from that URL (''pull''). It is also possible to send the file with the HTTP request - in this case the {{{filename}}} must be specified instead of {{{url}}} (''push''). The ''push'' variant for uploads is meant for peers which do not support pulling for some reason (e.g. mobile phones). Normal servers would always provide a URL for download in order to allow the consuming site decide which files to download and when (saves bandwidth).

==== reference ====
||'''Parent elements'''||[#resource resource]||
||'''Child elements'''||[#resource resource]||
||'''Contents'''||Text||

Represents a foreign key reference.

**Attributes:
||'''Name'''||'''Type'''||'''Description'''||'''mandatory?'''||
||'''field'''||string||the field name in the record||''yes''||
||'''resource'''||string||the name of the referenced resource, usually the tablename||''yes''||
||'''uuid'''||string||the unique identifier of the referenced record (foreign key)*||''(yes)''!**||
||'''tuid'''||string||a temporary identifier for a referenced record (foreign key)*||''(yes)''!**||

(*) Referenced records would always be exported in the same output file. If a referenced record is found in the same input file, then it will be automatically imported.

(!**) Records will be identified within the input file by their {{{uuid}}}, or, if no {{{uuid}}} is specified, by their {{{tuid}}}.

If the referenced record is enclosed in the ''reference'' element, then {{{uuid}}} and {{{tuid}}} can be omitted:

{{{
<s3xml>
   <resource name="xxxyyy">
       <reference field="xy" resource="aaabbb">   <!-- the reference element, uuid/tuid can be omitted if -->
          <resource name="aaabbb">                <!-- the referenced record is enclosed in the reference -->
          </resource>
       </reference>
   </resource>
</s3xml>
}}}

== JSON Format ==

== CSV Format ==

== Examples ==

=== XML Format ===

{{{
<s3xml>

  <resource                                                 <-- a record in the database -->
      created_on="2009-10-02 08:55:11"                      <-- date/time when the record was created -->
      modified_on="2009-10-02 08:56:03"                     <-- date/time when the record was last modified -->
      uuid="6e6e76dc-8ed7-408c-bb09-54476e3944ae"           <-- UUID of the record (if present in DB) -->
      created_by="None"                                     <-- Author -->
      modified_by="Dominic"                                 <-- Last Author -->
      name="pr_person">                                     <-- Resource Name -->

    <reference                                              <-- Reference Field (foreign key) in the record -->
      field="pr_pe_id"                                      <-- Field name -->
      resource="pr_pentity"                                 <-- Name of the referenced resource -->
      uuid="6e6e76dc-8ed7-408c-bb09-54476e3944ae"/>         <-- UUID of the referenced entry -->

    <data field="pr_pe_label">730421</data>                 <-- A field in the record -->
    <data field="first_name">Dominic</data>
    <data field="middle_name"/>
    <data field="last_name">König</data>
    <data field="preferred_name"/>
    <data field="local_name"/>
    <data field="opt_pr_gender" value="3">male</data>
    <data field="opt_pr_age_group" value="5">Adult (21-50)</data>
    <data field="email">dominic@nursix.org</data>
    <data field="mobile_phone"/>
    <data field="date_of_birth">1973-04-21</data>
    <data field="opt_pr_nationality" value="65">Germany</data>
    <data field="opt_pr_country" value="167">Sweden</data>
    <data field="opt_pr_religion" value="1">none</data>
    <data field="opt_pr_marital_status" value="3">married</data>
    <data field="occupation">Nurse</data>
    <data field="comment"/>

    <resource                                               <-- A sub-resource (component) of the record -->
      created_on="2009-10-02 11:34:34"
      modified_on="2009-10-02 11:34:34"
      uuid="89217054-3c10-4f5d-959a-420254243498"
      name="pr_address">

      <data
        field="opt_pr_address_type"                         <-- field name -->
        value="1">                                          <-- original value in the database -->
          Home Address                                      <-- value represented for human readability -->
      </data>
      <data field="co_name"/>
      <data field="street1">Lundgatan</data>
      <data field="street2"/>
      <data field="postcode">38031</data>
      <data field="city">Läckeby</data>
      <data field="state"/>
      <data field="opt_pr_country" value="167">Sweden</data>
      <data field="lat">56.78042</data>
      <data field="lon">16.27914</data>
      <data field="comment"/>
    </resource>
  </resource>
</s3xml>
}}}

 * [wiki:UUID] - how we handle Unique IDs for records across heterogeneous systems

=== JSON Format ===

The data structure of the native S3JSON format is equivalent to the XML format (=element trees) - except that markup elements are represented by prefixes:

{{{
{
    "@domain": "yana",                                             // Server name
    "@url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/eden"                           // Server URL
    "$_pr_person": {                                               // Resource, prefix: $_
        "@uuid": "44fc762e-02df-44e0-8bd1-9b58e3132894",           // Resource attribute, prefix: @
        "@url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/eden/pr/person/1",
        "@created_on": "2009-11-16 22:33:35",
        "@created_by": "None",
        "@modified_on": "2009-11-19 21:32:19",
        "@modified_by": "Dominic",
        "first_name": "Dominic",                                   // Data field, no prefix
        "last_name": "K\u00f6nig",
        "email": "dominic@nursix.org",
        "opt_pr_age_group": {"@value": "1", "$": "unknown"},       // Data field with textual representation:
        "opt_pr_religion": {"@value": "1", "$": "none"},           // @value=Value, $=TextualRepresentation
        "opt_pr_gender": {"@value": "1", "$": "unknown"},
        "opt_pr_nationality": {"@value": "999", "$": "unknown"},
        "opt_pr_country": {"@value": "999", "$": "unknown"},
        "opt_pr_marital_status": {"@value": "1", "$": "unknown"},
        "$k_pr_pe_id": {                                           // External Reference (Key), prefix: $k_
            "@resource": "pr_pentity",                             // Key resource name
            "@uuid": "a2a945bd-4f43-41da-bcdb-e2e638a987ea",       // UUID of the key record
            "$": "Dominic K\u00f6nig [no label] (Person)"          // Textual representation of the reference
        },
        "$_pr_presence": {                                         // Sub-resource (Component):
            "@uuid": "14af2751-7277-4e90-b42b-0d0430684561",       // appears as component within the resource
            "@created_on": "2009-11-19 19:42:46",
            "@modified_on": "2009-11-19 19:42:46"
            "@url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/eden/pr/person/1/presence/1",
            "opt_pr_presence_condition": {"@value": "4", "$": "Found"},
            "time": {"@value": "2009-11-19 18:42:00 +0000", "$": "2009-11-19 20:42:00"},
            "$k_reporter": {
                "@resource": "pr_person",
                "@uuid": "44fc762e-02df-44e0-8bd1-9b58e3132894",
                "$": "Dominic K\u00f6nig"
            },
        }
    },
}
}}}

'''JSON format characteristics:'''

  * The JSON output contains _no_ whitespace between elements, it's just added here by hand for better readability

  * The outermost structure is always a JSON object (not a list)
  * All data is represented as strings (for security reasons)

  * If @value is sent for a field, it overrides the element text ($) at import
  * however, the use of @value is not mandatory, data can simply be placed instead of element text
  * Note that there is no automatic data encoding: data must be sent in DB-encoded format
  * @resource, @name and @uuid attributes are mandatory at input, other attributes can be omitted

  * Multiple records of the same resource will be aggregated as lists like:

{{{
{
    $_my_resource: [
        {
            // record1 of my_resource
        }
        {
            // record2 of my_resource
        }
    ]
}
}}}