atomicdata-dev
Multi-class Resources
Currently, Atomic Data sets classes for a Resource using the is-a Property. This supports multiple values, which means that Resources can be instances of multiple classes.
Classes are mainly used for:
- Rendering forms (because a class could tell something about required and recommended properties)
- Selecting the best View for a resource (the front-end allows Views to register for some specific Class)
- Validating resources (similar to forms, by using required / recommended properties)
However, I'm having some doubts on supporting a multi-class model. In other words, I'm considering using an AtomicURL instead of a ResourceArray for the datatype of the isA property. Let's use this issue to consider the merits / downsides of having multi-class support.
Using a single URL for an instance that is many things
Imagine wanting to describe Jay-Z.
He's a person, so you might want to show properies like his first name, gender, birthplace, etc.
However, he's also a musical act, with its own discography, labels and genres properties.
We might say Jay-Z is just one Subject, with one URL, which has two classes: Human and MusicAct.
That is the multi-class approach.
A different approach, is to have a URL for Jay-Z the person, and a separate URL for Jay-Z the music act.
Increased complexity in views and forms
Having multiple classes makes things harder. For example, implementing a Form that combines all the Required / Recommended properties.. Also, when rendering a View for a resource, things become more complicated if there are multiple Views available - Imagine rendering something that's both a Calendar item and a Person - which view do you want?
