xeps/xep-README.xml

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<!DOCTYPE xep SYSTEM 'xep.dtd' [
  <!ENTITY % ents SYSTEM 'xep.ent'>
%ents;
]>
<?xml-stylesheet type='text/xsl' href='xep.xsl'?>
<xep>
<header>
  <title>XMPP Extensions Editor README</title>
  <abstract>This document describes work processes followed by the XMPP Extensions Editor.</abstract>
  &LEGALNOTICE;
  <number>README</number>
  <status>Experimental</status>
  <type>Procedural</type>
  <sig>N/A</sig>
  <approver>N/A</approver>
  <dependencies>
    <spec>XEP-0001</spec>
    <spec>XEP-0053</spec>
  </dependencies>
  <supersedes/>
  <supersededby/>
  <shortname>N/A</shortname>
  &stpeter;
  <revision>
    <version>0.6</version>
    <date>2007-09-28</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark>Updated to reflect new scripts and use of mailserver.</remark>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <version>0.5</version>
    <date>2005-05-26</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark>Adjusted to reflect ProtoXEP status.</remark>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <version>0.4</version>
    <date>2005-03-16</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark>Converted to XEP format; adjusted to reflect server move.</remark>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <version>0.3</version>
    <date>2004-10-22</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark>Clarified schema handling.</remark>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <version>0.2</version>
    <date>2004-10-11</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark>Defined XMPP Registrar processes.</remark>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <version>0.1</version>
    <date>2004-10-01</date>
    <initials>psa</initials>
    <remark>Initial version.</remark>
  </revision>
</header>

<section1 topic='Overview' anchor='overview'>
<p>Since the inception of the &XSF;, the &EDITOR; has been Peter Saint-Andre. However, if he gets hit by a bus or is replaced by someone else, this document may prove useful.</p>
<p>The XMPP Extensions Editor manages the XMPP extensions process as defined in &xep0001;. In addition, the XMPP Extensions Editor functions as the XMPP Registrar as defined in &xep0053;. Read those documents first, since this README focuses on mechanics instead of philosophy.</p>
</section1>

<section1 topic='Processes' anchor='edprocesses'>
<p>There are several XEP-related functions performed by the XMPP Extensions Editor:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Accepting a XEP</li>
  <li>Updating a XEP</li>
  <li>Deferring a XEP</li>
  <li>Retracting a XEP</li>
  <li>Issuing a Last Call</li>
  <li>Counting Council Votes</li>
  <li>Advancing a XEP</li>
</ol>
<p>These functions are specified below.</p>

<section2 topic='Accepting a XEP' anchor='accepting'>
<p>Periodically, people send email to editor@xmpp.org with new proposals. Here is how to process such submissions.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Receive proposal from author.</li>
  <li>Give it a descriptive filename that does <em>not</em> include the string 'xep' or a XEP number.</li>
  <li>Set the version to 0.0.1 if no version found.</li>
  <li>Set the status to ProtoXEP.</li>
  <li>Convert XML to HTML and check the results for accuracy.</li>
  <li>Place HTML at http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/inbox/ (/var/www/xmpp.org/extensions/inbox/)</li>
  <li>Place XML in the editor's working CVS directory on mailserver (e.g., ~/cvs/xmpp/extensions/docname.xml) </li>
  <li>Send a note to the Standards list by running the "inxep.py" script.</li>
  <li>Wait until the Council decides whether to accept the proposal as a XEP (this may involve poking the Council Chair).</li>
  <li>If rejected, retain in the "inbox".</li>
  <li>
    <p>If accepted, do the following:</p>
    <ol>
      <li>Assign the XEP the next available number in the XEP series.</li>
      <li>Modify the &lt;number/&gt; element in the XML file.</li>
      <li>Set the version to 0.1.</li>
      <li>Set the status to Experimental.</li>
      <li>Check the file for egregious errors.</li>
      <li>Add the XML file to the 'extensions' directory in the "xmpp" CVS module.</li>
      <li>Add a reference for the new XEP in the xep.ent file.</li>
      <li>Update CVS on the webserver.</li>
      <li>Run the "gen.sh" script on the webserver.</li>
      <li>Run the "dbupdate.py" script on the webserver.</li>
      <li>Update CVS on the mailserver.</li>
      <li>Run the "announce.py" script on the mailserver.</li>
      <li>Redirect the "inbox" file to the new XEP URL.</li>
    </ol>
  </li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Updating a XEP' anchor='updating'>
<p>Once a XEP has been published, it will be periodically updated in CVS, and sometimes those changes are significant enough to warrant a new version (e.g., version 0.2 after 0.1). Often a request to release a new version will come from the document author, sometimes from the Council (e.g., after the XEP has reached version 1.0 or version 2.0). Here is how to update a XEP.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Compile the file locally and check the content for accuracy (including the correct date and version number).</li>
  <li>Check your changes into CVS.</li>
  <li>Run the "archive.sh" script to put the previous XEP version in the "attic".</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "gen.sh" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "dbupdate.py" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the mailserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "announce.py" script on the mailserver.</li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Deferring a XEP' anchor='deferring'>
<p>The status of a XEP shall be automatically changed to Deferred if a new version has not been released in 6 months, except if the XEP is actively in the Council queue for consideration of issuance of a Last Call. Here is the process.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Change the &lt;status/&gt; element to "Deferred" in the XML file.</li>
  <li>Check your changes into CVS (note: do not modify the version number!).</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "gen.sh" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the mailserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "deferred.py" script on the mailserver.</li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Retracting a XEP' anchor='retracting'>
<p>Sometimes an author retracts a XEP because it is no longer worthy of consideration. Here is the process.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Change the &lt;status/&gt; element to "Retracted" in the XML file.</li>
  <li>Modify the &lt;abstract/&gt; element with appropriate content (see existing Retracted XEPs).</li>
  <li>Add a new revision block with an incremented version number, explaining that the XEP has been Retracted and why (see existing Retracted XEPs).</li>
  <li>Check your changes into CVS.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "gen.sh" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "dbupdate.py" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the mailserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "announce.py" script on the mailserver.</li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Issuing a Last Call' anchor='lastcall'>
<p>The XMPP Council determines whether and when to issue a Last Call on an Experimental XEP. Here is the process.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Receive notice from the Council Chair that a Last Call shall be issued.</li>
  <li>Determine the ending date, which must be at least 10 days in the future and usually is 2 weeks (sometimes 3 weeks if much discussion is expected).</li>
  <li>Change the &lt;status/&gt; element to "Proposed" in the XML file.</li>
  <li>Check your changes into CVS.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "gen.sh" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "dbupdate.py" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the mailserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "lastcall.py" script on the mailserver.</li>
  <li>Review the XMPP Registrar Considerations section to ensure accuracy.</li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Counting Council Votes' anchor='councilvotes'>
<p>The XMPP Extensions Editor is responsible for counting the votes of Council members. The process is as follows.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Inform the Council of the vote (see examples in the council@jabber.org archives).</li>
  <li>Monitor the Council list and Council meetings for votes.</li>
  <li>Update the appropriate Council tally file in the 'council' directory.</li>
  <li>Check your changes into CVS.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the server.</li>
  <li>Run the "gen.sh" script in the 'council' directory (don't confuse this with the XEP gen.sh script).</li>
  <li>When all Council members have voted, update the XEP accordingly (see below on Advancing a XEP).</li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Advancing a XEP' anchor='advancing'>
<p>When the Council approves a XEP, it advances to either Draft (Standards Track XEPs) or Active (other XEP types). Here is the process.</p>
<ol>
  <li>Change the &lt;status/&gt; element to "Active" or "Draft" as appropriate.</li>
  <li>Add a new revision block with a version number of "1.0" (see existing XEPs for appropriate remarks).</li>
  <li>If there are any XML schemas associated with the XEP, do the following:
    <ol>
      <li>Add an annotation to each schema (see existing examples).</li>
      <li>In the 'schemas' directory, create one .xsd file for each schema.</li>
      <li>For each schema, add a &lt;schemaloc/&gt; element to the XEP file.</li>
    </ol>
  </li>
  <li>Add the protocol namespace (if any) to the protocol namespaces registry and complete any other XMPP Registrar actions called for in the XEP (see below).</li>
  <li>Check your changes into CVS.</li>
  <li>Run the "archive.sh" script to put the previous XEP version in the "attic".</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "gen.sh" script.</li>
  <li>Run the "dbupdate.py" script on the webserver.</li>
  <li>Update CVS on the mailserver.</li>
  <li>Run the "announce.py" script on the mailserver.</li>
</ol>
</section2>

</section1>

<section1 topic='XMPP Registrar Processes' anchor='regprocesses'>

<section2 topic='Advancing a XEP' anchor='reg-advance'>
<p>Registry files are contained in the 'registry' directory. In general, there are several files that may need to be updated when a XEP advances to Active or Draft. In particular, most XEPs specify one or more protocol namespaces, which need to be added to the namespaces.xml file in the 'registry' directory. Refer to the list of registries at http://www.xmpp.org/registrar/ in order to determine which other registries may need to be updated. The reg.ent file will probably need to be updated as well. Once the Registrar actions have been completed, update the text of the XEP's XMPP Registrar Considerations section accordingly (e.g., to change "shall include" to "includes").</p>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Creating a New Registry' anchor='reg-newreg'>
<p>A XEP may call for one or more new registries to be created. If so, carefully review the XMPP Registrar Considerations section of the XEP before it advances to Draft or Active in order to provide appropriate feedback to the XEP author. (Alternatively, make the changes directly in the XEP file in consultation with the author.)</p>
<p>When creating a new registry, it is best to copy the DTD, XML, and XSL files for an existing registry, then modify them in accordance with the definition of the new registry in the relevant XEP. The gen.sh script will need to be updated to reflect the existence of the new registry, as will the index file for the http://www.xmpp.org/registrar/ web page.</p>
<p>Check all your changes into CVS, update the editor's CVS directory on the webserver, and run the gen.sh script to update the XMPP Registrar web pagesr. Then update the editor's CVS directory on the mailserver and run the announce.py script to send an announcement to the Standards list.</p>
</section2>

</section1>

<section1 topic='Tools' anchor='tools'>

<section2 topic='XML Processing' anchor='tools-xml'>
<p>In order to convert XML files into HTML and other formats, the XMPP Extensions Editor currently uses the xsltproc tool, which is part of libxml2 (created by Daniel Veillard). This tool is extremely handy and it is recommended that use of xsltproc be continued, especially since the shell scripts (described below) make calls to xsltproc.</p>
</section2>

<section2 topic='XSL Transformations' anchor='tools-xsl'>
<p>Most the "magic" behind creating the HTML-formatted XEPs, as well as the IETF-style reference files, is perfomed by XSL stylesheets. The main file here is xep.xsl, although ref.xsl is used to create the reference files. A future version of this README may explain these files in more depth.</p>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Entity References' anchor='tools-refs'>
<p>The xep.ent file contains handy references that can be incorporated into any XEP XML document, thus providing a centralized location for various document references. The XMPP Extensions Editor must keep this file up to date (e.g., by adding all new XEPs to it), and should be the only person who makes changes to the file.</p>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Python Scripts' anchor='tools-python'>
<p>Several Python scripts are under source control. These are:</p>
<ol>
  <li>
    <p>announce.py</p>
    <p>This script announces a new version of a XEP by updating the database and sending a message to standards@xmpp.org.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>deferrred.py</p>
    <p>This script updates the database and sends a message to standards@xmpp.org when the status of a XEP is changed to Deferred. Before running this script, make sure that you modify the &lt;status/&gt; element in the XEP itself and run the gen.sh shell script.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>lastcall.py</p>
    <p>This script announces a Last Call for a XEP by updating the database and sending a message to standards@xmpp.org.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>protoxep.py</p>
    <p>This script announces availability of a new "proto-XEP" (i.e., a document not yet accepted as a XEP by the XMPP Council) by sending a message to standards@xmpp.org. Before running this script, place the new proto-XEP so that it is available at http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/inbox/ (normally this is done by running 'xsltproc inbox/docname.xml > /var/www/xmpp.org/extensions/inbox/docname.html' from the editor's working CVS directory on the webserver).</p>
  </li>
</ol>
</section2>

<section2 topic='Shell Scripts' anchor='tools-shell'>
<p>Several shell scripts are under source control. These are:</p>
<ol>
  <li>
    <p>all.sh</p>
    <p>This script converts all XEP XML files into HTML. Use this if the xep.xsl file changes in ways that affect all XEPs. But make sure that CVS is synced up first -- you don't want to be publishing interim versions of XEPs!</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>archive.sh</p>
    <p>This script archives the version of a XEP currently on the website. Run this script before publishing a new version!</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>gen.sh</p>
    <p>This script converts one XEP XML file into HTML. Run this script before announcing a new version. This script can also be used for minor edits to the current version.</p>
  </li>
  <li>
    <p>schemagen.sh</p>
    <p>This script updates all of the XML schemas located at &lt;http://www.xmpp.org/schemas/&gt;. Update this file every time a protocol XEP with an associated schema advances to Active or Draft.</p>
  </li>
</ol>
</section2>

</section1>

</xep>