[mapserver-dev] RFC 62: Support Additional WFS GetFeature Output Formats

[Yewondwossen Assefa]

>>  - out of curiosity, will you  introduce a zip library like minzip in 
>> this work? I was looking into this for kmz output.
>
> GDAL already had io infrastructure for minizip "unzip", so I added
> minizip "zip" in GDAL and GDAL exports a simple API to use it.
> That's what I'm using in mapogroutput.c, but the downside is that
> it is only available if using GDAL 1.8 or newer.
>
> One benefit of using minizip from GDAL is that it can easily
> assemble the zip in memory using the /vsimem/ stuff instead of
> having to write it to disk.  Of course that could be accomplished
> with appropriate io hooks for minizip "zip" if it was incorporated
> directly in mapserver too.
>
ok thanks. I will look into mapogroutput.c when working on the kml driver.


>>    *  re. gml_include_items: are you thinking also of using 
>> gml_exclude_items and aliases? I am not sure I can think of other 
>> mechanisms to get the list of attributes.
>
>>   * re strong tying: would the gml_[item_name]_type be enough to do a 
>> valid output (if It is defined), or were you thinking have having the 
>> types in MapServer at read time?
>
> I'll have to look into the gml_[item]_type.
>
> OK, having looked it over a bit, it does seem like it should be
> sufficient for setting field types, though obviously it would be
> preferable to have a way of getting this information from the
> original driver itself.
>
> Perhaps in some circumstances we should allow the feature source
> implementations to set this metadata if it isn't already set?
> What downsides do you see to that?  Perhaps "gml_types=auto"
> would request the source driver to supply the types if it can?
>

  I believe automatic detection of types would be good. I think the 
gml_[item]_type was introduced only because the detection was not 
provided by the source drivers. I do not see any downside allowing the 
drivers to provide the type using gml_types=auto (or even if it is the 
default behavior without the user having to set it)

best regards,



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Assefa Yewondwossen
Software Analyst

Email: yassefa at dmsolutions.ca
http://www.dmsolutions.ca/

Phone: (613) 565-5056 (ext 14)
Fax:   (613) 565-0925
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