should options be inputs ?

[xquery]

we have discussed this before, but there are implications in terms of an API version, worth a re-discuss.

[htInEdin]

James Fuller writes:

we have discussed this before, but there are implications in terms of
an API version, worth a re-discuss.

I think so. Or rather, I think all options should be (understood as)
set from pipes, so that the dependency/ordering story is uniform.

ht

   Henry S. Thompson, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
  10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, SCOTLAND -- (44) 131 650-4440
            Fax: (44) 131 650-4587, e-mail: ht@inf.ed.ac.uk
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[xquery]

to simplify, would the signature of a step impl in another language be:

myLangFunc($options as map,Inputs ...)

or

we provide options as an input

myLangFunc(Inputs ...)

In previous discussions I sided with the former but I am concerned if we can get a stable signature across languages.

[ndw]

I'd be reluctant to take on "stable signatures across languages" as a requirement. You wind up in IDL hell with APIs that suck in every language.

[xquery]

yes agreed, I am doing some research in how we might use annotations