[OpenLayers-Dev] script protocol and filter serialization

[Tim Schaub]

Hey-

I posted a link a while ago to a working Script protocol for reading 
features cross-origin.

http://dev.openlayers.org/sandbox/tschaub/xdomain/examples/cross-origin.html

Pierre jumped in and helped out by writing tests (thanks for that).  The 
other changes he made prompted a question for me about the 
filterToParams method in the HTTP protocol (something that has nagged me 
for a while actually).

Summarized here: http://trac.osgeo.org/openlayers/ticket/2956#comment:4

Basically, I think we should not go too far with this custom method of 
serializing a filter in a query string.  I'm pretty sure this is a 
MapFish specific convention (but could be wrong about that).

I also think it makes sense to let app devs provide their own simple 
filterToParams methods (I've done this in the updated cross-origin.html 
example).

Further, I think we could provide additional conventions for serializing 
filters in the library.  I think it would make sense to support CQL/ECQL 
for example.  I also think we could have a simple Open Search (with Geo 
extension) filter serializer.  All of these should be named like the 
conventions or standards they represent.

Following this, I think it makes sense to name the current 
filterToParams method what it is.  I've proposed 
OpenLayers.Protocol.mapFishFilterSerializer in this ticket:

http://trac.osgeo.org/openlayers/ticket/3032

Thanks for any feedback,
Tim

PS - The updated Script protocol ticket is also review-ready: 
http://trac.osgeo.org/openlayers/ticket/2956


-- 
Tim Schaub
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.