MIME vs pure XML ebXML structure

["Kit (Christopher) Lueder" <kit@mitre.org>]

Sorry, I didn't catch the e-mail addresses of all those interested in
the sub-discussion of MIME vs pure XML enveloping, so I am sending this
to the list. Kit.


Discussion regarding Enveloping and Packaging:
Comments based on the March 6, 2000 version of Dick & Nick's discussion
paper.


I raised the issue at the ebXML TRP teleconference today regarding MIME
vs pure XML ebXML structure, in response to Rik's query of whether
anyone had a concern about using MIME as the TRP envelope.

My concern is from participating in the ebXML Requirements group, which
I think in general felt that a MIME option was OK, but were concerned
with a MIME-only solution. But I don't see a technical difference
between having the outer envelope being MIME vs. being XML. That is a
trivial aspect of the spec.
Kit.


For example, let's look at Dick/Nick's Example 3. The only change I made
to it was changing 
   name="input-data"     to 
   name="ebXML-body".



Example 3. 
         Content-type: multipart/form-data;
	   boundary=---------------------------222875935764
         Content-Length: 1373

         -----------------------------222875935764
         Content-Disposition: form-data; name="ebXML-header"

         <ebxml-header>
         <from>dick@8760.com</from>
         <to>nick@sun.com</to>
         <Message-ID>1111</Message-ID>
         <Subject>Your invoice</Subject>
         </ebxml-header>
         -----------------------------222875935764
         Content-Disposition: form-data; name="ebXML-body";
	   filename="D:\GISBLite\as2testtextfile.aes"
         Content-Type: text/xml

         <Invoice>transaction tags and business data....
         </Invoice>
         -----------------------------222875935764--


My point was that the same thing could be produced in a straight-forward
manner using pure XML as a simple alternative syntax to having the MIME
envelope:

         <ebxml-message>
           <ebxml-header>
             <from>dick@8760.com</from>
             <to>nick@sun.com</to>
             <Message-ID>1111</Message-ID>
             <Subject>Your invoice</Subject>
           </ebxml-header>
           <ebxml-body>
             <Invoice>transaction tags and business data....
             </Invoice>
           </ebxml-body>
         </ebxml-message>

Maybe with some tags in the ebxml-body to capture the MIME parameters
like filename="D:\GISBLite\as2testtextfile.aes"

Kit.

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    _/    _/             Kit C. J. Lueder       
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