kojiromike commented on code in PR #2448:
URL: https://github.com/apache/avro/pull/2448#discussion_r1297923222


##########
doc/content/en/docs/++version++/Specification/_index.md:
##########
@@ -259,13 +259,29 @@ Complex types (`record`, `enum`, `array`, `map`, `fixed`) 
have no namespace, but
 
 A schema or protocol may not contain multiple definitions of a fullname. 
Further, a name must be defined before it is used ("before" in the depth-first, 
left-to-right traversal of the JSON parse tree, where the types attribute of a 
protocol is always deemed to come "before" the messages attribute.)
 
-### Aliases
+### Aliases {#aliases}
 Named types and fields may have aliases. An implementation may optionally use 
aliases to map a writer's schema to the reader's. This facilitates both schema 
evolution as well as processing disparate datasets.
 
 Aliases function by re-writing the writer's schema using aliases from the 
reader's schema. For example, if the writer's schema was named "Foo" and the 
reader's schema is named "Bar" and has an alias of "Foo", then the 
implementation would act as though "Foo" were named "Bar" when reading. 
Similarly, if data was written as a record with a field named "x" and is read 
as a record with a field named "y" with alias "x", then the implementation 
would act as though "x" were named "y" when reading.
 
 A type alias may be specified either as a fully namespace-qualified, or 
relative to the namespace of the name it is an alias for. For example, if a 
type named "a.b" has aliases of "c" and "x.y", then the fully qualified names 
of its aliases are "a.c" and "x.y".
 
+Aliases are alternative names, and thus subject to the same uniqueness 
constraints as names. Aliases should be valid names, but this is not required: 
any string is accepted as an alias. This allows schema evolution to correct 
illegal names in old schemata.

Review Comment:
   I sent [a 
note](https://lists.apache.org/thread/v5g14yt2p7sv08129xlwqtsx23p1qonc) to the 
dev list to understand this better.



-- 
This is an automated message from the Apache Git Service.
To respond to the message, please log on to GitHub and use the
URL above to go to the specific comment.

To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]

For queries about this service, please contact Infrastructure at:
[email protected]

Reply via email to