Hi,
I know that the XQUF prohibits it, but for writing robust functions, it
is often necessary to mix query and update/docmgmt functionality. Some
examples:
- Expression that queries/updates document, but if the document
does not exist, adds an empty version of it:
let $name := "foo.xml"
let $emptydoc := <root/>
let $doc := if (empty(pf:documents()[.=$name])) then
(put($emptydoc,$name),$emptydoc) else doc("foo.xml")
return $doc//bar
- Expression that adds to a log-file:
let $log := doc("log.xml")
let $expr := ...some expression...
return (do insert <entry>...{$expr}...<entry> as last into
$log,$expr)
Each of these patterns gives you a "!type error: err:XUST0101: illegal
mix of updating and non-updating expressions" error.
Isn't is possible to somehow allow such expressions? It is against the
standard, so it probably requires some server configuration parameter,
but it would be really really useful to have it. Mixing queries with
update/docmgmt is known to cause many semantical problems, but only if
these updates are visible within the query. Looking at the
implementation based on pending update lists, then each of these
patterns is harmless. If you declare that no updates are visible within
the transaction (which is against the standard), then allowing these
queries is I guess not hard: it simply means that with updating
expressions and document management expressions you do return a result.
Another thing I've been thinking about in this context: If I send two
SOAP-messages to a server on its XRPC-port, am I guaranteed that they
are served in the same order? I could perhaps, with a lot of
duplication of code, separate update/docmgmt from a query, i.e.,
implement these things with two requests to the server. I really
dislike such a solution, though.
Looking forward to comments :-)
Maurice.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr.Ir. M. van Keulen - Assistant Professor, Data Management Technology
Univ. of Twente, Dept of EEMCS, POBox 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands
Email: m.vankeulen@utwente.nl, Phone: +31 534893688, Fax: +31 534892927
Room: ZI 3039, WWW: http://www.cs.utwente.nl/~keulen