[TAP] data type for column metadata

Roy Williams roy at cacr.caltech.edu
Tue Mar 24 08:16:25 PDT 2009


>>>> I believe the best way to handle this would be to introduce an
>>>> additional attribute on VOTable FIELDs (columns) called something
>>>> like "format". 

Just to note in passing that VOTable already has formatting information 
with the FIELD, it is the "width" and "precision" attributes (quote 
below from the REC).

I would suggest that if there is a new "format" attribute, then it 
should be able to replace "width" and "precision".

Roy
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    * the width attribute is meant as a hint to the application about 
the number of characters to be used for input or output of the quantity.

    * the precision attribute is meant to express the number of 
significant digits, either as a number of decimal places (e.g. 
precision="F2" or equivalently precision="2" to express 2 significant 
figures after the decimal point), or as a number of significant figures 
(e.g. precision="E5" indicates a relative precision of 10-5).

-- 

California Institute of Technology
626 395 3670



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