NAME

ROADS::MeshTraversal - A class to perform centroid mesh traversal

SYNOPSIS

  use ROADS::MeshTraversal;
  # @results is populated by doing a WHOIS++ search, then...
  @newresults = traverse("tubby and toast", 5, 1, @results);

DESCRIPTION

This class defines a method which takes the results of performing a WHOIS++ search and follows up any referrals which may have been returned by the WHOIS++ servers which were queried.

METHODS

@expanded_results = traverse( query, max_servers, debug, @results );

The traverse method takes four arguments :-

query

The WHOIS++ query which resulted in the original results being returned.

max_servers

The upper limit on the number of servers to contact when doing mesh traversal - this is to avoid going bonkers and trying to contact every WHOIS++ server on the Internet. We try not to hit any server more than once, so this should be quite effective.

debug

Whether to return debugging output or not.

results

Original search results which are being expanded, as generated by the ROADS::WPPC WHOIS++ client.

BUGS

We're a bit mixed up about where we're storing information, and this whole result processing could do with a re-think. If we're objectifying ROADS a bit more, the obvious thing to do would be to make each result item into an object, and hang the referrals off the bottom of them ?

SEE ALSO

"admin.pl" in admin-cgi, "search.pl" in cgi-bin, ROADS::WPPC

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 1988, Martin Hamilton <martinh@gnu.org> and Jon Knight <jon@net.lut.ac.uk>. All rights reserved.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

It was developed by the Department of Computer Studies at Loughborough University of Technology, as part of the ROADS project. ROADS is funded under the UK Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib), the European Commission Telematics for Research Programme, and the TERENA development programme.

AUTHOR

Jon Knight <jon@net.lut.ac.uk>