Folks,
Dale Johnson from MERIT brings up the issue of allowing "#" style comments in objects between attributes. From an implementation point of view this is *very* simple. Any major objections? The database sw would simply ignore them. Note that they would have to be on a line by themselves, NOT inside an attribute. An example would be:
person: Marten Terpstra address: RIPE Network Coordination Centre (NCC) address: PRIDE Project address: Kruislaan 409 address: NL-1098 SJ Amsterdam address: Netherlands # This is some comment phone: +31 20 592 5064 fax-no: +31 20 592 5090 e-mail: Marten.Terpstra@ripe.net nic-hdl: MT2 # And this as well notify: marten@ripe.net changed: marten@ripe.net 941128 source: RIPE
which would be processed normally, ie the # lines ignored. They would not end up in the database of course.
No objections, but it should be noted in the instructions that the comments are for the benefit of the sender only because they will not be stored in the database. Our (GARR-NIS) version of the RIPE database input procedures already allows for # comment in the incoming template. Different thoughts can be done on the following:
Well, if there is a "#" type comment inside an attribute (ie somewhere inside the value of an attribute) this will generate a syntax error in most cases. Ie something like:
person: Marten Terpstra address: ....... phone: +31 20 592 5065 # Preferred phone: +31 20 592 5064 # Backup
would spefically NOT be allowed and would generate syntax errors for that attribute. Unless of course the syntax for an attribute allows # chars (I don't think there are any though).
it would eventually be useful to allow this kind of comments if they stay in the database. Sometimes can be more explanatory tahn using the remarks tag. But I suppose such a mod requires too much rewriting of the database software. So let's skip it... ---------- ---------- Antonio_Blasco Bonito E-Mail: bonito@nis.garr.it GARR - Network Information Service c=it;a=garr;p=garr;o=nis;s=bonito c/o CNUCE - Istituto del CNR Tel: +39 (50) 593246 Via S. Maria, 36 Telex: 500371 CNUCE I 56126 PISA Italy Fax: +39 (50) 904052 ---------- ----------