Re: [Myexperiment-discuss] Changes to REST API for components

[Donal K. Fellows]

On 07/05/2013 12:57, Alan R Williams wrote:
> At the moment, components (and component profiles, families and
> versions) are implemented in myExperiment as packs, files, workflows and
> versions of them. When the REST API is used to talk to myExperiment, the
> components can only be dealt with as their myExperiment implementation.
>
> This makes it hard for clients to talk to myExperiment about components.
> At the moment, the Java code in Taverna for talking to myExperiment is
> "hairy" and complicated. There is a need for Ruby applications to also
> be able to talk to myExperiment about components.
>
> It would greatly help the BioVeL and SCAPE projects if the REST API
> dealt in components. There would then by one place for the mapping to
> the underlying implementation i.e. myExperiment side. This would allow
> later changes to the myExperiment implementation without the rewriting
> of the Ruby and Java Gems/packages.
>
> What further information do the myExperiment development team need about
> the requirements?

As I understand it, we have these concepts and operations:

  Component Profiles — need lookup-by-name, create, delete
                     - want lookup-by-property
  Component Families - need lookup-by-name (maybe -given-profile),
                       create, delete
                     - want list-all-visible-families, get-metadata,
                       lookup-by-property
  Components - need lookup-by-name-given-family, create, delete,
               add-version, list-versions, lookup-by-property

A looked-up component (or version of a component) could just be a URL.
(I know that Finn's already done some work on lookup-component-by-prop.)
Each of the above entities should be represented by a single URL that
identifies the resource; we should be RESTful of course.

"It would greatly help the [...] SCAPE" is an understatement. SCAPE has
a requirement to publish a lot of components, so driving the publication
strictly via the Taverna Workbench is very undesirable; they need a
scriptable API.

Donal.

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