W3 Naming Schemes

(See also a discussion of design issues involved )

The format of a hypertext name consists of the name of the naming sub-scheme to be used, then a name in a format particular to that subscheme, then an optional anchor identifier within the document. For example, the format is for all internet-based access methods:

  scheme : // node.domain:port / path / path  # anchor

References from one document to another with a similar name may be abbreviated to a relative name . This imposes certain restrictions on the way that the "path" is represented.

A special format is used to represent a search on an index .

Examples

         file://cernvax.cern.ch/usr/lib/WWW/defaut.html#123

This is a fully qualified file name, referring to a document in the file name space of the given internet node, and an imaginary anchor 123 within it.

         #greg

This refers to anchor "greg" in the same document as that in which the name appears.

Naming sub-schemes

Different schemes usually use different protocols on the network. Those currently defined are as follows:-

file	 Access is provided to files, using whatever means the browser and/or gateways have to reach files on obscure machines.

news	 Access is provided to news articles, and newsgroups, normally using the NNTP protocol.

http	 Access is provided to any other information using a special HyperText access protocol. The internal addressing of the information system is mapped onto a W3 path.

Other schemes we foresee are wais and x500, and possibly gopher and telnet.