phrasing and/or punctuation for input "inputBytes or inputDocument and inputMediaType" needs work

[TallTed]

As written, it's unclear whether it's "(inputBytes or inputDocument) and inputMediaType" or "inputBytes or (inputDocument and inputMediaType)"; i.e., whether inputMediaType is always present (which I believe is correct), or only travels with an inputDocument (which I believe is incorrect).

This applies to at least two instances of these inputs (circa lines 2022 and 4540), possibly more.

This can be assigned to me. I wanted to get confirmation of my belief above before going to PR.

[msporny]

inputMediaType is always present. Implementers can choose if their verification functions take inputBytes or inputDocument (or both) as input.

@dlongley was concerned that implementers that chose to take inputDocument plus an inputMediaType would be marked as non-conforming.

Note that there are cases where inputBytes is the only thing that makes sense (JWT, CBOR, etc). There are other cases where inputDocument makes sense... like for any Data Integrity-protected content.

[TallTed]

Implementers can choose if their verification functions take inputBytes or inputDocument (or both) as input.

I think it only makes sense for a single verification action to involve one of these (inputBytes or inputDocument), but an implementation could accept each at different times. So inputs are a pair of an inputMediaType and either an inputBytes or an inputDocument, and a given verification function implementation could choose to only ever accept one of these pairs, or to accept whichever pair a client fed it.

Yes?

[msporny]

@TallTed wrote:

Yes?

Correct.

[iherman]

The issue was discussed in a meeting on 2024-02-14

• no resolutions were taken

View the transcript

2.4. phrasing and/or punctuation for input "inputBytes or inputDocument and inputMediaType" needs work (issue vc-data-model#1402)

See github issue vc-data-model#1402.

Brent Zundel: first, #1402 phrasing and/or punctuation for input "inputBytes or inputDocument and inputMediaType" needs work.
… raised to and assigned to TallTed. how is it going?

Ted Thibodeau Jr.: on my list. not a complex thing, just needs to be done. hope to get it done in the next couple days.