Subject: IPP> MOD - ISSUE: ambiguity "printer-description" group v.attribute name

From: Tom Hastings <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 13:49:53 PDT

We've found a problem implementing the Get-Attributes operation on a
Printer.  There is an attribute group name called
"printer-description" AND a printer attribute called
"printer-description".  This leads to an obvious ambiguity. 

Group names can be used in the Get-Attributes and Get-Jobs operations
to request particular attributes as the value of the "requested-attributes"
input parameter attribute.

The group names that we have are:

"job-template"
"job-description"
"printer-description"
"all"

So a requester can specify:

  "requested-attributes" = 'job-state', 'job-description'

in a Get-Attributes operation.

But when the requester specifies:

  "requested-attributes" = 'printer-description' it is ambiguous
whether the group or the attribute is being requested.

Possible fixes:

1. Add "-group" to all three for use in Get-Attributes operation:

"job-template-group"
"job-description-group"
"printer-description-group"
"all-group"   or   maybe just keep this "all"

To get the group the requester would supply:

  "requrested-attributes" = 'printer-description-group'

2. Add "-attributes" to all three for use in Get-Attributes operation:

"job-template-attributes"
"job-description-attributes"
"printer-description-attributes"
"all-attributes"

To get the group the requester would supply:

  "requrested-attributes" = 'printer-description-attributes'

3. Change the name of the Printer attribute from "printer-description" to
"printer-info" (to go with "printer-more-info") and leave the group names
alone.

Comments?

Tom