[MAPSERVER-USERS] GetCapabilities error + bip format

[Kralidis,Tom [Burlington]]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org 
> [mailto:mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of cfb
> Sent: 10 March, 2008 6:14 PM
> To: mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org
> Subject: [MAPSERVER-USERS] GetCapabilities error + bip format
> 
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I have some doubts, I'm working with MS4W 2.2.7, any answer 
> will be really appreciated...
> 
> 1) When I get the wms GetCapabilities, at the beginning of 
> the document it's write "VendorSpecificCapabilities EMPTY", why?:
> 
> <?xml version='1.0' encoding="ISO-8859-1" standalone="no" ?> 
> <!DOCTYPE WMT_MS_Capabilities SYSTEM 
> "http://schemas.opengis.net/wms/1.1.1/WMS_MS_Capabilities.dtd"
>  [
>  <!ELEMENT VendorSpecificCapabilities EMPTY>  ]>  <!-- end of 
> DOCTYPE declaration -->
> 
> <WMT_MS_Capabilities version="1.1.1">
> 
> <!-- MapServer version 5.0.2 OUTPUT=GIF OUTPUT=PNG 
> OUTPUT=JPEG OUTPUT=WBMP OUTPUT=PDF OUTPUT=SWF OUTPUT=SVG 
> SUPPORTS=PROJ SUPPORTS=AGG SUPPORTS=FREETYPE 
> SUPPORTS=WMS_SERVER SUPPORTS=WMS_CLIENT SUPPORTS=WFS_SERVER 
> SUPPORTS=WFS_CLIENT SUPPORTS=WCS_SERVER SUPPORTS=SOS_SERVER 
> SUPPORTS=FASTCGI SUPPORTS=THREADS SUPPORTS=GEOS INPUT=JPEG 
> INPUT=POSTGIS INPUT=ORACLESPATIAL INPUT=OGR INPUT=GDAL 
> INPUT=SHAPEFILE -->
> 
> <Service>
>   <Name>nnn</Name>
>   <Title>nnn...
> 
> 


Here's what the example at
http://schemas.opengis.net/wms/1.1.1/capabilities_1_1_1.xml states:

 [
 <!-- Vendor-specific elements are defined here if needed. -->
 <!-- If not needed, just leave this EMPTY declaration.  Do not
  delete the declaration entirely. -->
 <!ELEMENT VendorSpecificCapabilities EMPTY>
 ]>  <!-- end of DOCTYPE declaration -->


I believe this is because the existence of the
VendorSpecificCapabilities element itself is defined in
http://schemas.opengis.net/wms/1.1.1/WMS_MS_Capabilities.dtd, but no
child elements are defined.  Child elements are left to the implementing
server to define within the Capabilities XML within the <!ELEMENT>
declaration.

So essentially this is a placeholder by the OGC, defined in the days
where DTDs were primarily used.  These days we see this by way of
extensions, given that using XML Schema allows for this type of
extensibility.

..Tom