set job control params in job creation POST

[Patrick Dowler]

context: In TAP we want to define a TERMINATION parameter for sync queries 
with exactly the same semantics as it has in UWS for async queries.

One thing I discussed with Paul and Guy last summer was whether or not UWS 
allowed one to init/set/request some of the resources in the initial POST 
that creates the job. I recall (could be wrong) the conclusion was that you 
COULD do this for service specific parameters but you COULD NOT do it for UWS 
concepts and had to address job control POSTs to the specific child web 
resource. That would mean that in TAP something like

POST /sync?TERMINATION=600&...

is allowed while

POST /async?TERMINATION=600

is not. There are many examples in the TAP doc where other TAP-specific 
parameters are POSTed in the job creation step. This was thought to be OK but 
it leaves an odd disconnect (especially for users) since some params can be 
set at job creation and some (UWS defined) cannot. The situation will be 
worse if the rules are different for the /async and /sync endpoints.

The goal (in TAP, but it is a general issue) is that we want to be able to run 
synchronously or asynchronously by just changing the endpoint. To fully 
accomplish that, one has to at least be permitted to completely specify the 
job in a single POST - e.g. the job creation POST in the case of async. This 
is simple enough to implement.

Has this been addressed in UWS 0.5? Thought about further?

-- 

Patrick Dowler
Tel/Tél: (250) 363-0044
Canadian Astronomy Data Centre
National Research Council Canada
5071 West Saanich Road
Victoria, BC V9E 2M7

Centre canadien de donnees astronomiques
Conseil national de recherches Canada
5071, chemin West Saanich
Victoria (C.-B.) V9E 2M7