[OSM-dev] api 0.5 and ways

[Frederik Ramm]

Hi,

    as far as I know, the API will reject none of the ways you have  
sketched. It does not look at the ids of the nodes referenced, and  
surely doesn't look at the coordinates of the nodes. The following  
are perfectly legal ways for the API:

> {x,y,z,w} when lat/lon of y is the same of lat/lon of z
> {x,y,z,x,w}
> {x,y,z,w,j} when lat/lon of w is the same of lat/lon of x
> {x,y,z,w} when segment from z to w intersects the segment from x to y
> {x,y,y,z}

A way having only one node should probably be rejected (I don't think  
this is currently the case?), and the API might perhaps also complain  
about the {x,y,y,z} type.

> Should/Must editors/converters avoid them?

Editors should help users to create meaningful and usable data, so  
they should try and avoid any cases where the resulting data makes no  
sense. I believe the validator plugn for JOSM will already detect  
multiple nodes at the exact same position, and intersecting ways  
(don't know about self-intersecting though).

Bye
Frederik

-- 
Frederik Ramm  ##  eMail frederik at remote.org  ##  N49°00.09' E008°23.33'