XForms 1.1 Requirements XForms 1.1 Requirements W3C Working Group Note 31 August 2004 This version: http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/NOTE-xforms-11-req-20040831/ Latest version: http://www.w3.org/TR/xforms-11-req/ Previous version: http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/NOTE-xforms-11-req-20040611/ Editors: John Boyer, PureEdge Solutions Inc. IBM Copyright W3C ® MIT ERCIM Keio liability trademark document use Abstract XForms is an XML application that represents the next generation of forms for the Web. This document specifies the requirements for XForms 1.1. Status of This Document This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index This document is a W3C Working Group Note W3C XForms Working Group XForms Activity W3C Interaction Domain This document will not diff-marked version Comments on this document are welcome. You may email comments to the appropriate public mailing list for the XForms Working Group: [email protected] Archive [email protected] Archive publicly Publication as a Working Group Note does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress. Contents Introduction 1. Client/Server Interaction 1.1 SOAP Integration 1.2 Improved Control over Submission 2. Incremental Improvements to XForms 1.0 2.1 Repeat/Insert Enhancements 2.2 Email-address Datatype 2.3 Support Association from XML data to Documents containing XForms 2.4 Power Function 2.5 Improved Search for Instance Data by Key Value 2.6 Supply Event Context Information to Event Handlers 2.7 Support Inline Rendition of Non-text Media Types 2.8 Support for Credit Card Number Validation 3. Better Integration to Host Languages 3.1 Simplify Authoring XForms in XHTML2 3.2 XForms Model as Distinct Conformance Level 3.3 Close Document Facility A1 Acknowledgments Introduction XForms 1.1 will build upon the solid foundation set forth by XForms 1.0 SOAP 1. Client/Server Interaction 1.1 SOAP Integration Requirement: SOAP 1.2 Improved Control over Submission In XForms 1.0, the submission Requirement: submission Requirement: submission Some intended applications of XForms may require the ability to let the host document to have control over the XML data submitted to the server. A use case would be a document-centric system in which an entire XML document, not just the XML data is submitted. Requirement: submission 2. Incremental Improvements to XForms 1.0 2.1 Repeat/Insert Enhancements In XForms 1.0, a repeat nodeset nodeset To dynamically add user interface elements as more data becomes available, insert repeat insert Due to this architecture, it is not possible to use insert repeat Secondly, it is also more difficult to express forms in which the data content is derived not from the prototypical instance but from other instance data obtained after initialization. Each leaf node in the subtree rooted by the new node in the repeat setvalue Requirement: 2.2 Email-address Datatype Requirement: 2.3 Support Association from XML data to Documents containing XForms A document containing an XForms model can be associated with externally defined XML data using linking attributes of the instance Requirement: 2.4 Power Function Applications that require mathematical exponentiation (raising X to the power Y) are not possible in XForms 1.0, such as the compounded interest calculation for a periodic loan payment. Requirement: Y 2.5 Improved Search for Instance Data by Key Value In some forms, it is necessary to perform a simple table lookup based on user input. For example, suppose a form contains an element conversionTable XPath provides the ability to perform this type of search using predicates. To continue the above example, suppose each child of conversionTable rate currency currency amount /root/amount * /root/conversionTable/rate[@currency=/root/currency] The problem with this approach is that it uses absolute referencing to obtain the currency value selected by the user. If the converted amount, amount, and currency elements were moved to a deeper point in the instance data, then the XPath would have to be rewritten. Requirement: 2.6 Supply Event Context Information to Event Handlers XForms actions benefit from access to key pieces of information available in the context of the events for which they are handlers. Requirement: 2.7 Support Inline Rendition of Non-text Media Types In XForms 1.0, textual content from instance data nodes can be extracted and rendered inline. For example, the output label trigger Requirement: 2.8 Support for Credit Card Number Validation The ability to validate a credit card number is an important capability for better enabling online transactions to be performed using XForms. However, validating credit card numbers is difficult since they are not simply numbers but rather need to conform to a number of constraints, including valid prefixes, length, and adherence to the Luhn checksum formula. Requirement: 3. Better Integration to Host Languages 3.1 Simplify Authoring XForms in XHTML2 To increase widespread adoption of XForms in web applications, it is necessary to reduce the difficulty of authoring XForms in XHTML, which is currently hindered by the incessant need to flip between the host language namespace and the XForms namespace when authoring the user interface component of a form. Requirement: 3.2 XForms Model as Distinct Conformance Level To facilitate the adoption of XForms in other XML tag sets, which is stated as a key goal in the XForms 1.0 requirements Requirement: 3.3 Close Document Facility There are many use cases in which a behavior should be followed by closing the containing document (which may cause the user agent to close if appropriate). For example, in XForms 1.0 the replace="all" submission Requirement: A1 Acknowledgments This document was produced with the participation of current XForms Working Group participants: Steven Pemberton, W3C/CWI ( Chair Gavin McKenzie, Adobe Micah Dubinko, Cardiff Mikko Honkala, Helsinki University Of Technology Roland Merrick, IBM ( Editor T. V. Raman, IBM David Landwehr, Novell Kenneth Sklander, ixst Subramanian Peruvemba, Oracle Corp. Mark Seaborne, Origo Services Limited John Boyer, PureEdge Solutions Inc. ( Editor Sebastian Schnitzenbaumer, SAP (until Feb. 2004) Daniel Vogelheim, Sun Microsystems Thierry Michel, W3C ( W3C Team Contact Mark Birbeck, x-port.net Ltd. ( Invited Expert Kevin Kelly, IBM Gary Sikora, Progeny Systems