Provider Properties Details Wish

[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

Hi,

The FDO provider classes have methods that enable the auto generation of the user interfaces that create a FDO connection. However there is some information the providers should provide but don’t / could.

For instance, it is not possible to find out if a string parameter represents a file name, or a password. So the auto generated user interface code cannot instantiate the file open panel, or anonymize a password field.

I assume this seemingly simple change would require a fairly major RFC and support by all the providers.
If there are alternative workarounds to this I would be glad to hear...

[Dan Stoica]

Hi,

The info you need is available through the connection object:

       FdoPtr<FdoIConnectionInfo> connInfo = mConnection->GetConnectionInfo();

Where FdoIConnectionInfo has this method:

    /// \brief
    /// Returns the provider type. A provider can be a file-based, database-based or
    /// web-based provider. The valid values the function may return are defined in
    /// the enumeration FdoProviderDatastoreType. The enumeration includes the following
    /// values: FdoProviderDatastoreType_Unknown, FdoProviderDatastoreType_File,
    /// FdoProviderDatastoreType_DatabaseServer, FdoProviderDatastoreType_WebServer.
    ///
    /// \return
    /// Returns the provider data store type.
    ///
    FDO_API virtual FdoProviderDatastoreType GetProviderDatastoreType() = 0;

Then with this you can dig further for detailed info:

FdoPtr<FdoIConnectionPropertyDictionary> connProps = connInfo->GetConnectionProperties();


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Crispin_at_1Spatial
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 10:37 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [fdo-users] Provider Properties Details Wish


Hi,

The FDO provider classes have methods that enable the auto generation of the
user interfaces that create a FDO connection. However there is some
information the providers should provide but don’t / could.

For instance, it is not possible to find out if a string parameter
represents a file name, or a password. So the auto generated user interface
code cannot instantiate the file open panel, or anonymize a password field.

I assume this seemingly simple change would require a fairly major RFC and
support by all the providers.
If there are alternative workarounds to this I would be glad to hear...

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[Orest Halustchak]

Hi Crispin,

The connection property dictionary (FdoIConnectionPropertyDictionary) has some methods that should help.

IsPropertyProtected() - if true, then it's a password type property.

IsPropertyFileName()
IsPropertyFilePath()

Thanks,
Orest.

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Crispin_at_1Spatial
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 10:37 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [fdo-users] Provider Properties Details Wish


Hi,

The FDO provider classes have methods that enable the auto generation of the
user interfaces that create a FDO connection. However there is some
information the providers should provide but don’t / could.

For instance, it is not possible to find out if a string parameter
represents a file name, or a password. So the auto generated user interface
code cannot instantiate the file open panel, or anonymize a password field.

I assume this seemingly simple change would require a fairly major RFC and
support by all the providers.
If there are alternative workarounds to this I would be glad to hear...

--
View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Provider-Properties-Details-Wish-tp2390311p2390311.html
Sent from the FDO Users mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

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[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

Dan,

Not quite what I was after - you can derive much from this and the names but it's the actual connection parameters.  For example SHP has a "DefaultFileLocation" that is a file but I only know it's a file by human logic and looking up in the manual.  "MySQL" has a "DataStore" that is not a file but SQLite's datastore is a file.  A generic application should know how to present each parameter as boolean / file / hiddenpassword without having to create custom pages per provider.  Is that clearer?

[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

Thanks Orest - that's pretty much what I couldn't find myself...

 Crispin

[Dan Stoica]

> that is a file but I only know it's a file by human logic and looking up in the manual

But GetProviderDatastoreType() tells you if it's a file or not.


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Crispin_at_1Spatial
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 11:14 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: RE: [fdo-users] Provider Properties Details Wish


Dan,

Not quite what I was after - you can derive much from this and the names but
it's the actual connection parameters.  For example SHP has a
"DefaultFileLocation" that is a file but I only know it's a file by human
logic and looking up in the manual.  "MySQL" has a "DataStore" that is not a
file but SQLite's datastore is a file.  A generic application should know
how to present each parameter as boolean / file / hiddenpassword without
having to create custom pages per provider.  Is that clearer?
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[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

Orest,

Using .net it looks like only 'IsPropertyProtected()' is exposed - I don't see the other methods, should they be in the API?

 Crispin

Orest Halustchak wrote:

Hi Crispin,

The connection property dictionary (FdoIConnectionPropertyDictionary) has some methods that should help.

IsPropertyProtected() - if true, then it's a password type property.

IsPropertyFileName()
IsPropertyFilePath()

Thanks,
Orest.

[Romica Dascalescu]

Hi Crispin,

I had a look in .NET FDO API and below is the class containing connection properties:
Indeed there are a few things missing here to be able to create a nice dynamical connection dialog.

namespace OSGeo.FDO.Connections

public interface IConnectionPropertyDictionary : IDisposable
{
    // Methods
    string[] EnumeratePropertyValues(string name);
    string GetLocalizedName(string name);
    string GetProperty(string name);
    string GetPropertyDefault(string name);
    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U1)]
    bool IsPropertyEnumerable(string name);
    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U1)]
    bool IsPropertyFileName(string name);
    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U1)]
    bool IsPropertyFilePath(string name);
    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U1)]
    bool IsPropertyProtected(string name);
    [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.U1)]
    bool IsPropertyRequired(string name);
    void SetProperty(string name, string value);
    // Properties
    string[] PropertyNames { get; }
}

Romy.
________________________________________
From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Crispin_at_1Spatial [[hidden email]]
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 12:28 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: RE: [fdo-users] Provider Properties Details Wish

Orest,

Using .net it looks like only 'IsPropertyProtected()' is exposed - I don't
see the other methods, should they be in the API?

 Crispin



Orest Halustchak wrote:

>
> Hi Crispin,
>
> The connection property dictionary (FdoIConnectionPropertyDictionary) has
> some methods that should help.
>
> IsPropertyProtected() - if true, then it's a password type property.
>
> IsPropertyFileName()
> IsPropertyFilePath()
>
> Thanks,
> Orest.
>
>

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[Jackie Ng]

Are you using 3.3? Those APIs were omitted from the managed API (for reasons unknown). 3.4 has these omitted methods the managed API.

- Jackie

Crispin_at_1Spatial wrote:

Orest,

Using .net it looks like only 'IsPropertyProtected()' is exposed - I don't see the other methods, should they be in the API?

 Crispin

Orest Halustchak wrote:

Hi Crispin,

The connection property dictionary (FdoIConnectionPropertyDictionary) has some methods that should help.

IsPropertyProtected() - if true, then it's a password type property.

IsPropertyFileName()
IsPropertyFilePath()

Thanks,
Orest.

[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

Jackie,

Thanks - 3.3 it is.  I have a parallell solution sharing source code but referencing the 3.4 resources so I will be able to use these going forwards...  Crispin

Jackie Ng wrote:

Are you using 3.3? Those APIs were omitted from the managed API (for reasons unknown). 3.4 has these omitted methods the managed API.

- Jackie

Crispin_at_1Spatial wrote:

Orest,

Using .net it looks like only 'IsPropertyProtected()' is exposed - I don't see the other methods, should they be in the API?

 Crispin

Orest Halustchak wrote:

Hi Crispin,

The connection property dictionary (FdoIConnectionPropertyDictionary) has some methods that should help.

IsPropertyProtected() - if true, then it's a password type property.

IsPropertyFileName()
IsPropertyFilePath()

Thanks,
Orest.

[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

OK,

So now it looks like not all the providers support this functionality properly in the 3.4 RC

For example:

 * The WFS provider does not set the "Password" property with IsPropertyProtected()

 * The SQLite provider does not set the "File" property with IsPropertyFileName()

 Crispin

[Crispin_at_1Spatial]

Reply to my own post...

SQLite is OK (my mistake) but the following minor properties could be fixed:

 * The WFS provider does not set the "Password" property with IsPropertyProtected()

 * The KingOra provider does not set the "Password" property with IsPropertyProtected()

Crispin_at_1Spatial wrote:

OK,

So now it looks like not all the providers support this functionality properly in the 3.4 RC

For example:

 * The WFS provider does not set the "Password" property with IsPropertyProtected()

 * The SQLite provider does not set the "File" property with IsPropertyFileName()

 Crispin

[Frank Warmerdam]

Crispin_at_1Spatial wrote:

> OK,
>
> So now it looks like not all the providers support this functionality
> properly in the 3.4 RC
>
> For example:
>
>  * The WFS provider does not set the "Password" property with
> IsPropertyProtected()
>
>  * The SQLite provider does not set the "File" property with
> IsPropertyFileName()

Crispin,

I'd suggest filing tickets on all the issues you encounter in this
regard.  It would be even nicer to file them with patches.

I've been thinking a bit about this with regard to the GDAL provider.
Unfortunately the dataset argument to the GDAL provider might be
a file, a directory or something not obviously related to the file
system so it isn't obvious what to do about it.

Best regards,
--
---------------------------------------+--------------------------------------
I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, [hidden email]
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent

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