OASIS ebXML Messaging Services TC

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Re: Use of MIME multipart for zero payload containers

  • 1.  Re: Use of MIME multipart for zero payload containers

    Posted 09-17-2001 11:26
    I also agree that we should remove the requirement that all messages
    be encapsulated in a MIME multipart/related "envelope". We left this
    in from the early days. 
    
    In cases where there is no payload, then there probably should be
    only the SOAP:Envelope with a MIME media-type consistent with the
    SOAP 1.1 spec (for now) which would be "text/xml" (with which I
    have major heartburn, but that's what SOAP1.1 says, so we work with
    what we have at the moment).
    
    "application/xml" or even more suitably application/soap+xml would
    be preferable IMO (see recent posting from Murata-san on xml-dist-app)
    so as to be consistent with RFC3023 (and with 2048 before that).
    
    Cheers,
    
    Chris
    
    
    David Fischer wrote:
    > 
    > Good point, I agree.  In the case of zero payloads, there is no multipart.
    > 
    > David Fischer
    > Drummond Group.
    > 
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Dan Weinreb [mailto:dlw@exceloncorp.com]
    > Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 10:11 PM
    > To: ebxml-msg@lists.oasis-open.org
    > Subject: Use of MIME multipart for zero payload containers
    > 
    > The MS spec seems to say that an ebXML message is always represented
    > as a MIME multipart/related entity.  There does not seem to be an
    > exception for the case where there are zero payload containers: in
    > such a case it looks like an ebXML message MUST be expressed as a MIME
    > multipart with only one part.  Is that right?
    > 
    > I mention this because I was looking at Sun's JAXM EA2 implementation,
    > and it seems to have logic saying that if it finds itself generating a
    > SOAP-with-attachments message with zero attachments, it uses the
    > original SOAP format, which does not use MIME multipart.  This means
    > that if you asked it to generate an ebXML message for which there are
    > no payload containers, what it would generate would not be ebXML MS
    > compliant.
    > 
    > I brought this up with the JAXM group and got this response:
    > 
    >    Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 15:04:12 -0700
    >    From: Nicholas Kassem <nick.kassem@sun.com>
    > 
    >    Dan,
    > 
    >    Once again thanks for your input. I believe I now understand your point. In
    >    the JAXM context I don't think we will gain much by dwelling on the
    >    *interpretation* of the numerous relevant specs.  The key issue is what is
    >    the canonical form of an ebXML 1.0 message in cases where there is only one
    >    part in a multipart/related message. Your contention is that the presence
    >    of an empty attachment (equivalent to no ebXML payload) may lead to
    >    interoperability problems. I'm not convinced, but be that as it may. So, we
    >    will include a facility in JAXM to *explicitly* use multipart/related
    >    packaging even in cases where it is logically redundant. Hope this helps.
    > 
    >    Nick
    > 
    > -- Dan
    > 
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