XMLNews-Meta (1999-04-05) Technical Specification
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XMLNews-Meta (1999-04-05) Technical Specification |
Copyright (c) 1999 by XMLNews.org. Free redistribution permitted.
$Date: 1999/12/01 01:45:58 $ $Revision: 1.5 $
The most recent version of this document is always available through the XMLNews.org Web site.
This document is the technical specification for XMLNews-Meta, a simple, extensible XML document type for exchanging metadata records about a single resource (such as a news story, a picture, a video clip, or an audio clip). If you are looking for an introduction to XMLNews-Meta, you can read the XMLNews-Meta Tutorial first; afterwards, you can use this document as a reference guide to find out more about specific parts of the XMLNews-Meta format. The XMLNews Technical Overview explains the overall design of the XMLNews specifications. There is also an XML XMLNews-Meta DTD (Document Type Definition) available.
XMLNews-Meta is based on the World Wide Web Consortium's Resource Description Framework (RDF) Recommendation of 22 February 1999, and XMLNews-Meta files are compatible with all conforming RDF processors. An XMLNews-Meta record is deliberately simple and flat; as a result, XMLNews-Meta places the following additional constraints on RDF:
This document type contains a core set of properties; users are encouraged to add their own properties, as long as the properties belong to a separate namespace (see the World Wide Web Consortium's Namespaces in XML Recommendation for details).
It's also important to note that while the XMLNews-Meta document type hard-codes a specific set of prefixes, processors should act on the underlying namespaces (see the xn:Resource element for the namespace declarations used).
The root element of an XMLNews-Meta record is xn:Resource. The order of the properties in a record is not significant.
xn:Resource, xn:child, xn:classification, xn:companyCode, xn:companyName, xn:copyright, xn:creator, xn:dateline, xn:description, xn:distributionRights, xn:distributorCode, xn:distributorName, xn:eventCode, xn:eventName, xn:expireTime, xn:fixtureCode, xn:fixtureName, xn:industryCode, xn:industryName, xn:language, xn:locationCode, xn:locationName, xn:nextVersion, xn:parent, xn:personCode, xn:personName, xn:previousVersion, xn:priority, xn:providerCode, xn:providerName, xn:publicationTime, xn:receivedTime, xn:releaseTime, xn:rendition, xn:resourceID, xn:serviceCode, xn:serviceName, xn:sourceCode, xn:sourceName, xn:subjectCode, xn:subjectName, xn:title, xn:url, xn:vendorData
<xn:Resource>: XMLNews Resource DescriptionThe xn:Resource element contains the properties for a specific resource.
(xn:child | xn:classification | xn:companyCode | xn:companyName | xn:copyright | xn:creator | xn:dateline | xn:description | xn:distributionRights | xn:distributorCode | xn:distributorName | xn:eventCode | xn:eventName | xn:expireTime | xn:fixtureCode | xn:fixtureName | xn:industryCode | xn:industryName | xn:language | xn:locationCode | xn:locationName | xn:nextVersion | xn:parent | xn:personCode | xn:personName | xn:previousVersion | xn:priority | xn:providerCode | xn:providerName | xn:publicationTime | xn:receivedTime | xn:releaseTime | xn:rendition | xn:resourceID | xn:serviceCode | xn:serviceName | xn:sourceCode | xn:sourceName | xn:subjectCode | xn:subjectName | xn:title | xn:url | xn:vendorData)*
The xmlns:xn attribute associates the xn
prefix with the http://www.xmlnews.org/namespaces/meta#
namespace. This attribute is required, and its value may not be
changed.
Type: CDATA
Default: #FIXED "http://www.xmlnews.org/namespaces/meta#"
The xn:Resource element is not allowed in any parent elements: it must be the root element of an XML document.
<xn:child>: Child ResourceThe xn:child element contains the unique identifier of another resource that is logically a part of the current resource, such as a picture included in a news story (see xn:resourceID):
<xn:child>1238708102980987</xn:child>
You may repeat xn:child for each child of the current resource. See also xn:parent.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:classification>: Resource ClassificationThe xn:classification element contains a unique classification code for a resource:
<xn:classification>http://www.foo.com/classifications/entertainment</xn:classification>
You may repeat xn:classification to provide more than one classification for a single resource.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:companyCode>: Company Subject CodeThe xn:companyCode element is a specialized version of xn:subjectCode: it contains a unique, machine-readable symbol for a publicly-traded company related to a resource:
<xn:companyCode>NYSE:NT</xn:companyCode>
If there is more than one company related to a resource, or if a company is known by more than one ticker symbol (such as a company traded on multiple exchanges), then you should include a separate instance of xn:companyCode for each company and/or ticker symbol.
To include a human-readable name for a company (public or private), use the xn:companyName element.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:companyName>: Company NameThe xn:companyName element is a specialized version of xn:subjectName: it contains the full, human-readable name of a company (public or private) associated with a news resource:
<xn:companyName>Nortel Networks</xn:companyName>
If there is more than one company related to a resource, or if a company is known by more than one name, then you should include a separate instance of xn:companyName for each company and/or name.
To include the ticker symbol for a publicly-traded company use the xn:companyCode element.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:copyright>: CopyrightThe xn:copyright element contains a single copyright statement for the current resource:
<xn:copyright>Copyright (c) 1999 by ACME News Inc. All rights reserved.</xn:copyright>
If more than one copyright notice applies to the same resource, you should repeat the xn:copyright element once for each separate copyright statement.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:creator>: Resource CreatorThe xn:creator element contains a credit for the creation of the current resource, such as the name of the author of a news story or the person who took a photograph:
<xn:creator>Jane Smith</xn:creator>
In some cases, the credit will be generic:
<xn:creator>Our South American Correspondent</xn:creator>
If there is more than one creator for a single resource, then you should repeat the xn:creator element once for each credit.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:dateline>: DatelineThe xn:dateline element contains the location and (optionally) the date and time where the resource originated, such as the city from which a news clip is filed:
<xn:dateline>Kingston, Jamaica, January 5, 1999</xn:dateline>
Some news stories are filed from more than one location; in that case, all locations should be combined into a single dateline if possible:
<xn:dateline>New York and Brussels</xn:dateline>
Datelines can be used for any type of news object, not just for print stories.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:description>: DescriptionThe xn:description element contains a brief, plain-text description of the resource:
<xn:description>Joe Miller reports from Oslo for ACME News on the latest peace negotiations.</xn:description>
In the case of a photograph, the xn:description element may contain the actual cut-line, though it is not required to do so. There should normally be only a single description for each resource (though a future version of XMLNews-Meta might allow separate descriptions for different languages or locations).
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:distributionRights>: Distribution RightsThe xn:distributionRights element contains a statement of redistribution rights for the resource, as in the following example:
<xn:distributionRights>This video may be redistributed only within Canada and the United States.</xn:distribution>
There should be only a single xn:distributionRights element for each resource, to avoid the danger of contradictory statements.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
The xn:distributionRights element is allowed in the following parent element(s):
xn:Resource<xn:distributorCode>: Distributor CodeThe xn:distributorCode element contains a unique machine-readable identifier for a distributor of the current resource, as in the following example:
<xn:distributorCode>http://www.xmlnews.org/codes/distributors/CNN</xn:distributorCode>
If the resource has more than one distribution credit, or if there is more than one code identifying the distributor, then you should repeat this element once for each distributor and/or code.
To include the human-readable name of the distributor, use xn:distributorName.
See also xn:providerCode, xn:serviceCode, and xn:sourceCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:distributorName>: Distributor NameThe xn:distributorName element contains the human-readable name of a distributor of the current resource:
<xn:distributorName>Associated Press</xn:distributorName>
If the resource has more than one distribution credit, or if the distributor is known by more than one name, then you should repeat this element once for each distributor and/or name.
To include a machine-readable identifier for a distributor, use xn:distributorCode.
See also xn:providerName, xn:serviceName, and xn:sourceName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:eventCode>: Event Subject CodeThe xn:eventCode element is a specialized version of xn:subjectCode: it contains a machine-readable unique identifier for a type of event related to the resource:
<xn:eventCode>http://www.xmlnews.org/codes/events/award</xn:eventCode>
If there is more than one event type related to the resource, or if there is more than one code identifying the event, you should include xn:eventCode once for each event type and/or code.
To include a human-readable name for the event type, use xn:eventName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:eventName>: Event Subject NameThe xn:eventName element is a specialized version of xn:subjectName: it contains a human-readable name for an event associated with the resource:
<xn:eventName>Election</xn:eventName>
If there is more than one event type related to the resource, or if there is more than one name describing the event (such as Independence Day and The Fourth of July) you should include xn:eventName once for each event type and/or name.
To include a machine-readable identifier for the event type, use xn:eventCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:expireTime>: Time of ExpiryThe xn:expireTime element contains the date and time that the resource may no longer be distributed. The date and time appear in in ISO 8601 (yyyymmddThhmmssTZD) format. If the time is not in GMT, the offset from GMT must be specified. In the following example, the article expires at 1:00PM New York time on March 13, 1999:
<xn:expireTime>19990313T1300-0500</xn:expireTime>
See also xn:publicationTime, xn:receivedTime, and xn:releaseTime.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:fixtureCode>: Fixture CodeThe xn:fixtureCode element contains a machine-readable unique identifier for a fixture (such as Noon Stocks or Photo of the Month) of which this resource is an instance:
<xn:fixtureCode>http://www.acmenews.com/fixtures/evening-news</xn:fixtureCode>
If the resource is an instance of more than one fixture, or there is more than one code identifying the same fixture, you should repeat the xn:fixtureCode element once for each fixture and/or code.
To include a human-readable name for the fixture, use xn:fixtureName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:fixtureName>: Fixture NameThe xn:fixtureName element contains a human-readable name for a fixture (such as Photo of the Month) of which this resource is an instance:
<xn:fixtureName>Evening News</xn:fixtureName>
If the resource is an instance of more than one fixture, or if the fixture is known by more than one name, you should repeat the xn:fixtureName element once for each fixture and/or name.
To include a machine-readable identifier for the fixture, use xn:fixtureCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:industryCode>: Industry Subject CodeThe xn:industryCode element is a specialized version of xn:subjectCode: it contains a machine-readable unique identifier for an industry related to the resource:
<xn:industryCode>http://www.xmlnews.org/codes/industry/semiconductors</xn:industryCode>
If there is more than one industry associated with the news resource, or if there is more than one code identifying the industry, then you should repeat the xn:industryCode element once for each industry and/or code.
To include a human-readable name for the industry, use xn:industryName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:industryName>: Industry Subject NameThe xn:industryName element is a specialized version of xn:subjectName: it contains a human-readable name for an industry related to the resource:
<xn:industryName>Agriculture</xn:industryName>
If there is more than one industry associated with the news resource, or if the industry is known by more than one name (such as Semiconductors and Microchips), you should repeat the xn:industryName element once for each industry and/or name.
To include a machine-readable identifier for the industry, use xn:industryCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:language>: LanguageThe xn:language element contains the principal language of the resource, if applicable:
<xn:language>fr</xn:language>
The language should be specified using an ISO 629 two-digit language code in lower case, optionally followed by a hyphen and an ISO 3166 two-digit country code in upper case (such as de for German, or de-CH for Swiss German).
If there is more than one principal language (for example, if the resource is multilingual), then this property may be repeated, but it should not be used to describe short foreign-language excerpts or quotations in a resource that uses a single language predominantly.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:locationCode>: Location CodeThe xn:locationCode element is a specialized version of xn:subjectCode: it contains a unique machine-readable identifier for a location associated with the resource, as in the following example:
<xn:locationCode>http://www.xmlnews.org/codes/location/countries/malasia</xn:locationCode>
If there is more than one location associated with the resource, or if there is more than one code describing a location, then you should use a separate xn:locationCode element for each location and/or code.
To include the human-readable name of a location, see xn:locationName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:locationName>: Location NameThe xn:locationName element is a specialized version of xn:subjectName: it contains a human-readable name for a location associated with the resource, as in the following example:
<xn:locationName>Malasia</xn:locationName>
If there is more than one location associated with the resource, or if the location is known by more than one name (such as Queensborough Bridge and 59th Street Bridge), or if one location is more or less specific than another (such as South America and Paraguay) you should use a separate xn:locationName element for each one.
To include a machine-readable identifier for a location, see xn:locationCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:nextVersion>: Next VersionThe xn:nextVersion element contains the unique identifier (see xn:resourceID) of a later version of the same resource:
<xn:nextVersion>7098709870987</xn:nextVersion>
This element should appear at most once for each resource. See also xn:previousVersion.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:parent>: Parent ResourceThe xn:parent element contains the unique identifier of the another resource that logically contains this one, such as the news story in which a photograph appears (see xn:resourceID):
<xn:parent>http://www.acmenews.com/ids/x7987689s998987s98798</xn:parent>
A single resource may have multiple parents, if it is logically contained in multiple resources; in that case, you should repeat xn:parent once for each parent. See also xn:child.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:personCode>: Person Subject CodeThe xn:personCode element is a specialized version of xn:subjectCode: it contains a unique machine-readable unique identifier for a person related to the resource:
<xn:personCode>http://www.acmenews.com/people/clinton1234</xn:personCode>
If there is more than one person associated with the news resource, or if there is more than one code available for a single person, then you should include one xn:personCode element for each person and/or code.
To include a human-readable name for a person, use the xn:personName element.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:personName>: Person NameThe xn:personName element is a specialized version of xn:subjectName: it contains a human readable name for a person mentioned in the resource:
<xn:personName>Bill Clinton</xn:personName>
If there is more than one person associated with the news resource, or if a person is known by more than one name (such as Karol Wojtyla, also known as Pope John Paul II), then you should include one xn:personName element for each person and/or name.
To include a machine-readable identifier for a person, use the xn:personCode element.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:previousVersion>: Previous VersionThe xn:previousVersion element contains the unique identifier of the most recent earlier version of the same resource:
<xn:previousVersion>9658658765875</xn:previousVersion>
This element should appear at most once for each resource. See also xn:nextVersion.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:priority>: Priority LevelThe xn:priority element contains a number representing the importance of the resource, from 1 (least urgent) to 10 (most urgent):
<xn:priority>5</xn:priority>
Ordinary headline news has a priority of 5.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:providerCode>: Provider CodeThe xn:providerCode element contains a unique machine-readable identifier for the information provider who supplied the current resource:
<xn:providerCode>http://www.acme.com/</xn:providerCode>
If the provider has more than one service, then use the xn:serviceCode property as well.
To include a human-readable name for the provider, use the xn:providerName element.
See also xn:distributorCode and xn:sourceCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:providerName>: Provider NameThe xn:providerName element contains a human-readable name for the information provider who supplied the current resource:
<xn:providerName>ACME News</xn:providerName>
If the provider has more than one service, then use the xn:serviceName property as well.
To include a machine-readable identifier for the provider, use the xn:providerCode element.
See also xn:distributorName and xn:sourceName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:publicationTime>: Time of PublicationThe xn:publicationTime element contains the date and time that the resource was distributed. The date and time appear in in ISO 8601 (yyyymmddThhmmssTZD) format. If the time is not in GMT, the offset from GMT must be specified. In the following example, the article was distributed at 9:31AM New York time on March 13, 1999:
<xn:publicationTime>19990313T093100-0500</xn:publicationTime>
See also xn:expireTime, xn:receivedTime, and xn:releaseTime.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:receivedTime>: Time of ReceiptThe xn:receivedTime element contains the date and time that the resource was received on the current system. The date and time appear in in ISO 8601 (yyyymmddThhmmssTZD) format. If the time is not in GMT, the offset from GMT must be specified. In the following example, the article was received at 9:33:07AM New York time on March 13, 1999:
<xn:receivedTime>19990313T093307-0500</xn:receivedTime>
See also xn:expireTime, xn:publicationTime, and xn:releaseTime.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:releaseTime>: Time of ReleaseThe xn:releaseTime element contains the date and time that the resource may be released. The date and time appear in in ISO 8601 (yyyymmddThhmmssTZD) format. If the time is not in GMT, the offset from GMT must be specified. In the following example, the article may be released at at 9:30AM New York time on March 13, 1999:
<xn:releaseTime>19990313T093000-0500</xn:releaseTime>
See also xn:expireTime, xn:publicationTime, and xn:receivedTime.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:rendition>: Rendition of ResourceThe xn:rendition element contains the relative or absolute URL of this resource in a specific format (such as XML, HTML, PDF, JPEG, etc.):
<xn:rendition>12345323215.xml</xn:rendition>
If the same abstract resource has more than one rendition (such as an XML and HTML rendition), then you should repeat this property once for each rendition.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:resourceID>: Resource IdentifierThe xn:resourceID element contains a unique identifier for the current resource:
<xn:resourceID>LMNTTMOTM1585</xn:resourceID>
The format of the identifier is determined by the news feed; the only requirement is that a news resource's identifier not be reused until after its expiry time (see xn:expireTime).
Several other properties refer to this identifier, including xn:child, xn:nextVersion, xn:previousVersion, and xn:parent.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:serviceCode>: Service CodeThe xn:serviceCode contains a unique machine-readable identifier for a specific service for a distributor who provides news resources through several services:
<xn:serviceCode>MRKT</xn:serviceCode>
You may include the xn:serviceCode element only if you have also included the xn:providerCode and/or xn:providerName element.
To include the human-readable name of the service, use xn:serviceName.
See also xn:distributorCode and xn:sourceCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:serviceName>: Service NameThe xn:serviceName contains a human-readable name for a specific service for a distributor who provides news resources through several services:
<xn:serviceCode>Market Report</xn:serviceCode>
You may include the xn:serviceName element only if you have also included the xn:providerName and/or xn:providerCode element.
To include a machine-readable identifier for the service, use xn:serviceCode.
See also xn:distributorName and xn:sourceName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:sourceCode>: Source CodeThe xn:sourceCode element contains a machine-readable unique identifier for the organization (such as a local paper or wire service) that originally originally produced the resource:
<xn:sourceCode>http://www.mytown-news.com/</xn:sourceCode>
If there is more than one source for the reousrce, you should repeat the xn:sourceCode element once for each source.
To include the human-readable name of the source, use xn:sourceName.
See also xn:distributorCode, xn:providerCode, and xn:serviceCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:sourceName>: Source NameThe xn:sourceName element contains a human-readable identifier for the organization (such as a local paper) that originally produced the resource:
<xn:sourceCode>My Town Daily News</xn:sourceCode>
If there is more than one source for the resource, you should repeat the xn:sourceName element once for each source.
To include the human-readable name of the source, use xn:sourceName.
See also xn:distributorCode, xn:providerCode, and xn:serviceCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:subjectCode>: Subject CodeThe xn:subjectCode element contains a unique machine-readable identifier for a subject of any kind associated with the news resource:
<xn:subjectCode>http://www.xmlnews.org/codes/subjects/recreation</xn:subjectCode>
If there is more than one subject associated with the resource, or if a subject is known by more than one code, you should include a separate xn:subjectCode element for each subject and/or code.
To include a human-readable name for the subject, use xn:subjectName.
See also xn:companyCode, xn:eventCode, xn:industryCode, xn:locationCode, and xn:personCode, and of which are specialized versions of xn:subjectCode.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:subjectName>: Subject NameThe xn:subjectName element contains a human-readable name for a subject of any kind associated with the news resource:
<xn:subjectName>Recreation</xn:subjectName>
If there is more than one subject associated with the resource, or if a subject is known by more than one name (such as boating or yachting), you should include a separate xn:subjectName element for each subject and/or name.
To include a machine-readable identifier for the subject, use xn:subjectCode.
See also xn:companyName, xn:eventName, xn:industryName, xn:locationName, and xn:personName, and of which are specialized versions of xn:subjectName.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:title>: Resource TitleThe xn:title element contains the title of the resource (such as a newspaper headline):
<xn:title>Man bites dog</xn:title>
If there is more than one title associated with the resource (such as a subtitle), you should include a separate xn:title element for each title.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:url>: URLThe xn:url element contains a URL associated with the news resource (not the URL of resource itself):
<xn:url>http://www.yahoo.com/<xn:url>
If there is more than one URL associated with the resource, you should include a separate xn:url element for each one.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
<xn:vendorData>: Vendor-Specific DataSometimes, it is necessary to pass on raw, non-XML metadata from a
vendor for technical or legal reasons. The xn:vendorData
element contains an arbitrary, non-XML name=value pair
specific to a vendor:
<xn:vendorData>HDN=Dog bites man</xn:vendorData>
Often, there will be an XMLNews-Meta element corresponding to the vendor-specific code; in that case, it is better to translate the vendor code into a more standard code so that systems can process them in a standard, vendor-independent way:
<xn:title>Dog bites man</xn:title>
Even when there is not an XMLNews-Meta element corresponding to the vendor's date, it is by far preferable to create a proper new property type, since XMLNews is designed to be an extensible format:
<acme:hdn xmlns:acme="http://www.acme.com/ns/">Dog bites man</acme:hdn>
As a result, there are only two situations when you should use the xn:vendorData element:
In the latter case, you would include the data twice, once as a proper property element (such as xn:title), and once again in an xn:vendorData element.
(#PCDATA)
(None.)
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