TMQL - Proposal: Removal of reifier axis

Hi there,

I don't know how TMQL would/should look alike, but I wonder if the
reifier axis could be made implicit (probably we have to keep an
explicit reifier axis though).

If we take the Topic Maps slogan "everything is a subject/topic"
seriously, why shouldn't it be possible to ask an association
*directly* for its names without the "give me the reifier of the
association and then all names" step (syntax-wise)?

Example:

   TMQL 2008

   //tmdm:association >> reifier >> characteristics tmdm:topic-name

vs.

   //tmdm:association >> characteristics tmdm:topic-name

or (if you don't like the >> syntax):

   //tmdm:association/*[. isa tmdm:topic-name]


would return all names of all topics which reify an association.

Is the "reifier" step really useful? If the user wants to query all
names of an association, the user already assumes that it is reified.

The proposal is not limited to associations but all reifiable Topic
Maps constructs.

In the other direction (topic -> reified) it would be possible to ask
a topic for its datatype iff the topic reifies an occurrence/variant
or for its roles iff the topic reifies an association.


Best regards,
Lars
-- 
Semagia 
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