10 Controlled (Value/vocabulary)code Lists (CVLs)
Some elements and attributes from the xNAL namespace require a limited list of possible values for more efficient interoperability. These lists of values are described in this section.
10.1 Providing lists of values
The xNAL schemas do not provide any restrictions on possible values of elements and attributes; however some require such restrictions. These restrictions are specific to particular applications of xNAL, but there are a small number of fixed values that are common through all possible applications. These common values are provided below in Section 10.5, Common lists of values.
Agencies may specify their own lists of values in addition to the values provided in Section 10.5, as long as they do not contradict. Agencies should follow the appropriate procedures to extend the common lists of values (which are outside the scope of this document).
If a particular e-service uses xNAL and requires the use of specific values, these values should be clearly specified with the service documentation and made available for all intended e-service participants. The Agency service provider should follow the appropriate publishing procedures to publish the service-specific lists of values. These procedures are outside the scope of this document.
NOTE
Solution Architects and Programmers should note that CVLs are the subject of a discussion paper currently in draft to gain government-wide agreement on their access and management. More information can be found on http://www.e.govt.nz/interoperability/index.html.
10.2 Application support for lists of values
All xNAL-conformant applications should understand the common lists of values provided in this document or other values formally adopted after this document is published.
There is no requirement to provide runtime (real-time) access to the lists of values. Once they are published it will be the responsibility of the service consumers to provide the required level of support by their application.
10.3 Validation with lists of values
xNAL validation should include checking the values of elements and attributes against the corresponding lists of values. This type of validation cannot be performed through the normal schema-validation procedure as the values reside outside the schema.
10.4 Maintenance
The common lists of values are part of this specification and should remain stable with best-practice version-management.
Once published with a particular version of a service, service-specific lists of values become part of that service, and they should be subject to formal version management. Thus if the list of values changes, it should automatically require change of the service version.
10.5 Common lists of values
Common lists of values, as in the following table, are part of this specification and should be supported by all xNAL compliant applications.
|
Value
|
Definition
|
|---|---|
|
Unparsed |
The value has not been parsed by the parser; applies to free-text elements such as the NameLine or AddressLine. |
|
Supplementary |
Descriptive data, unparsed, but cannot be broken down into meaningful fragments if it were to be parsed. It is typically found in AddressLine Type elements in xAL in Sections 7.2.1 and 9.1.3; for example <door bell does not work - knock> or < 30kms west of Eketahuna> |
NOTE
The values above, specifically used in typical schema instances, are only the start of the expected final list. As the number of agencies interchanging NZ xNAL grows, the list of values agreed by consensus will also grow.
This is achieved by agencies using a document such as a Memorandum of Understanding which defines the Values, Identifiers, and so on that are to be used in the exchange. These should then form appendices to this document so they can be exposed for others to re-use. Over time, those items that are being re-used will end up in the list of Values above by the process of need, re-use, experience, and consensus.
This rest of this section was intentionally left blank. These values will be produced along with the xNAL API.
10.5.1 xNL - basic
10.5.2 xNL
10.5.3 xAL
10.5.4 xNAL
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