Ah, but the transformation from some internal serialized format to iCal 
is an added level of complexity in your software, that if you are going 
to need iCal yourself eventually, you don't need.

My experience shows me that using standard data formats, even between 
modules of your internal architecture, really pays off down the line, in 
many ways. Just my advice.  iCal isn't really that complicated.

While there doesn't seem to be an exact standard for iCal in JSON, even 
putting iCal in JSON in your own makes-sense way would be preferable to 
a custom internal format, in my opinion. Just my opinion of course.

For your original question... I still don't have an answer, except to 
say that offering serialized PHP objects on the wire seems like the 
wrong solution to me, no matter what.

Jonathan

Cloutman, David wrote:
> Ultimately, I probably will create a transformation to iCal, but
> initially it isn't my goal. For internal use, I want to skip the
> intermediate type, which really more complex than what my application or
> Web site needs. 
>
> ---
> David Cloutman <[log in to unmask]>
> Electronic Services Librarian
> Marin County Free Library 
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Jonathan Rochkind
> Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 11:38 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Mime type for PHP serialized objects
>
>
> If you want to publish calendar event information, you should use 
> iCal/iCalendar instead of making up your own format.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICalendar   => text/calendar
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XCal  => application/calendar+xml
>
> Jonathan
>
>
> Cloutman, David wrote:
>   
>> I have a quick question for any PHP developers out there. 
>>
>> I am writing a SOA application to manage my library's events calendar.
>> The basic idea is to create a public API that our web site or other
>> community organizations can use to query and consume information. I am
>> using JSON as the default output for information, but would like to
>>     
> add
>   
>> the option of outputting native serialized PHP data structures as
>> created by the serialized() function.
>>
>> My question is, what mime type should I use for serialized PHP data?
>>     
> The
>   
>> best suggestion I saw through Google was
>>     
> application/vnd.php.serialized,
>   
>> which was posted as a proposal. I don't know if any standard was
>>     
> adopted
>   
>> though. Has anyone else thought about this issue?
>>
>> - David
>>
>>
>>
>> ---
>> David Cloutman <[log in to unmask]>
>> Electronic Services Librarian
>> Marin County Free Library 
>>
>> Email Disclaimer:
>>     
> http://www.co.marin.ca.us/nav/misc/EmailDisclaimer.cfm
>   
>>   
>>     
>
>   

-- 
Jonathan Rochkind
Digital Services Software Engineer
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886 
rochkind (at) jhu.edu