How to identify dataset

[baffelli]

I did some thinking and encountered the following problem:

For datasets identification, we have the following cases:

1. Dataset connected to experiment
2. Dataset connected to object
3. Dataset anywhere identified by PermID
   The first two cases have the same identifier "/SPACE/PROJECT/CODE". However, PyBis can't distinguish these two cases. We could solve this in two ways:

• Ask the user to specify whether the data is on a collection or on an object
• Try searching for both cases and take the one that gives a result. In case of ambiguity, give an error message.

I favor the second solution. What do you think?

[michalogit]

I think that inside openBIS there cannot be an ambiguity for a dataset access path. That's my intuition as for the design principles.
pyBIS does not seem to worry about the potential ambiguity of paths. So I think we should not either.
Anyway, will try to ask Swen or Adam...

[baffelli]

While I agree that there's no ambiguity inside openbis, we don't know a priori - given the identifier only - whether this identifier points to a collection or to an object. That's the ambiguity i refer about. I don't know what's the best way to resolve it.