[BioSQL-l] seqfeature.display_id

[Thomas Down]

On Wed, Sep 25, 2002 at 12:49:44PM -0700, Hilmar Lapp wrote:
> In bioperl SeqFeatures have a display_id, and I'd like to serialize 
> this. Would anyone have a problem with me adding display_id to 
> seqfeature as a nullable attribute?
> 
> does this attribute exist in other Bio* (BioJava?) as well?

No, not BioJava -- where IDs exist, they tend to go in an
Annotation property.  We've thought at various times about
adding this to the interfaces, but tend to be scared off
a little by all the usual scoping and objects-with-multiple-names
issues.  I guess saying that it's a `display' ID is a reasonable
way of punting these.  We're keen so solve this property in
BioJava2 -- where some of the issues should be simpler, since
it will be the FeatureCards which have names, rather than
any of their Mappings.

I've got no objection to you adding this property -- although
maybe it would be better to have a many-many association between
seqfeature and seqfeature_name, as we discussed when you were
talking about gene_name (I'm still a strong believer in the
Genes Aren't Special principle).

      Thomas.


PS. Any idea how many more schema modifications you're going to
    make in the current phase of work?  I'm thinking about doing
    a branch of the BioJava adaptors.