[Geoserver-devel] Terminology question: SLD "variable substitution" or SLD "parameter substitution"?

GeoServer GeoServer Developer
1

The GeoServer doc uses two different terms to refer to SLD variable substitution. I would like to make this consistent in the User Guide, so I’m asking for comments on which one should be the standard wording.

The WMS GetMap vendor parameter page uses “variable substitution”:

http://docs.geoserver.org/stable/en/user/services/wms/vendor.html#env

The SLD section uses “parameter substitution”:

http://docs.geoserver.org/stable/en/user/styling/sld-extensions/substitution.html

I lean towards using “variable substitution”, for the following reasons:

  • the use of the “env” seems like a reference to UNIX-style environment variables
  • the word “parameter” is easy to confuse with the concept of WMS request parameters, since both are used in the same context

Thoughts?

–

Martin Davis
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

2

Hey Martin,

Thanks for making this consistent. I don’t have a strong opinion on this one but I think i have heard it referred to more often as “parameter substitution”. But from a naming standpoint i agree that I think i like variable substitution.

Maybe we can split the difference and call it “www substitution”. (inside joke)

-Justin

On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 12:36 AM, Martin Davis <mdavis@anonymised.com…> wrote:

The GeoServer doc uses two different terms to refer to SLD variable substitution. I would like to make this consistent in the User Guide, so I’m asking for comments on which one should be the standard wording.

The WMS GetMap vendor parameter page uses “variable substitution”:

http://docs.geoserver.org/stable/en/user/services/wms/vendor.html#env

The SLD section uses “parameter substitution”:

http://docs.geoserver.org/stable/en/user/styling/sld-extensions/substitution.html

I lean towards using “variable substitution”, for the following reasons:

  • the use of the “env” seems like a reference to UNIX-style environment variables
  • the word “parameter” is easy to confuse with the concept of WMS request parameters, since both are used in the same context

Thoughts?

–

Martin Davis
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

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–
Justin Deoliveira
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Enterprise support for open source geospatial.

3

On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 8:53 AM, Justin Deoliveira <jdeolive@anonymised.com.1501…> wrote:

Hey Martin,

Thanks for making this consistent. I don’t have a strong opinion on this one but I think i have heard it referred to more often as “parameter substitution”. But from a naming standpoint i agree that I think i like variable substitution.

Maybe we can split the difference and call it “www substitution”. (inside joke)

Justin, one day you should add “www” as your middle name :-p

I believe I’ve also heard it more often called “parameter substitution”, then again,
MapServer calls the equivalent concept “variable sustitution”:
http://mapserver.org/mapfile/variable_sub.html

So I’d go for variable, consistent among projects is even better than consistency
among the GeoServer own documentation :-p

Cheers
Andrea

–

Ing. Andrea Aime
GeoSolutions S.A.S.
Tech lead

Via Poggio alle Viti 1187
55054 Massarosa (LU)
Italy

phone: +39 0584 962313
fax: +39 0584 962313
mob: +39 339 8844549

http://www.geo-solutions.it
http://geo-solutions.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/GeoSolutionsIT
http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaaime
http://twitter.com/geowolf

4

Excellent, I’ll make the change.

And good point about consistency across projects, Andrea - I agree 100% that this should be followed, whereever it makes sense.

M

On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 8:39 AM, Andrea Aime <andrea.aime@anonymised.com> wrote:

On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 8:53 AM, Justin Deoliveira <jdeolive@anonymised.com> wrote:

Hey Martin,

Thanks for making this consistent. I don’t have a strong opinion on this one but I think i have heard it referred to more often as “parameter substitution”. But from a naming standpoint i agree that I think i like variable substitution.

Maybe we can split the difference and call it “www substitution”. (inside joke)

Justin, one day you should add “www” as your middle name :-p

I believe I’ve also heard it more often called “parameter substitution”, then again,
MapServer calls the equivalent concept “variable sustitution”:
http://mapserver.org/mapfile/variable_sub.html

So I’d go for variable, consistent among projects is even better than consistency
among the GeoServer own documentation :-p

Cheers
Andrea

–

Ing. Andrea Aime
GeoSolutions S.A.S.
Tech lead

Via Poggio alle Viti 1187
55054 Massarosa (LU)
Italy

phone: +39 0584 962313
fax: +39 0584 962313
mob: +39 339 8844549

http://www.geo-solutions.it
http://geo-solutions.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/GeoSolutionsIT
http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaaime
http://twitter.com/geowolf

–

Martin Davis
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.