From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <26b78b8cda5b223352a5aff7326b1385@proxima.alt.za>
To: 9fans@9fans.net
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:43:01 +0200
From: lucio@proxima.alt.za
In-Reply-To: <1244854934.9958.1843.camel@work>
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Subject: Re: [9fans] Different representations of the same
Topicbox-Message-UUID: 0a1ea57c-ead5-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025

> Sure, but if *each* file can have more than one representation then
> where's the best place for the ctl thing to be? In each subdirectory?
> At the top of the hierarchy (accepting the full path names, of course)?

Well, assume you have a canonical representation for a given file, I'd
have the ctl file in the same directory.  You'd then use a command
that includes the basename as well as the representation selector to
create the new entry.  If the representation directory already exists,
then the file is added to whatever is already there, otherwise the
directory is created first:

	; ls /n/synthetic
	/n/synthetic/ctl
	/n/synthetic/image.canonical
	; echo GIF image.canonical > /n/synthetic/ctl
	; ls /n/synthetic
	/n/synthetic/ctl
	/n/synthetic/gif
	/n/synthetic/image.canonical
	; ls /n/synthetic/gif
	/n/synthetic/gif/image.canonical # sic

If you need additional depth to the directory, then I think you ought
to be looking to upas/fs and how it manipulates its directory for
further hints.

Whether this is any better than content negotiation may be a judgement
call.  I'll read the wikipedia entry later, thank you for pointing me
to it.

++L