dat.json dependencies

README.md

When I create a dat, it gives me a dat.json file. The dat.json file currently describes a single dat. For example,

From the existing dat.json spec:

{
  "url": "dat://37ad8eb8d7f...",
  "title": "This is My Dataset",
  "description": "This is a one or two line description of the archive for Human People",
  "author": "Karissa McKelvey <karissa@mckelvey.edu>"
}

A dat.json file is great for compiling the metadata about a dat in a single file. It is also good if you want to send the dat to another person -- you can just send them the file, or add the file to github, or an HTTP server, or anywhere else, and they can see what it is.

What if I create a project that includes downloading multiple dats? For example, using the census combined with another dataset I collected from Twitter. That means I need a way to specify that there many dats in one package of data. For those familiar with software development, we call this a 'dependency.'

Dat.json Dependencies

We want to add a new field to the dat.json file that will make it easy to add other dats as dependencies.

A dat dependency could be either:

• an HTTP URL containing the Hyperdrive-Key header
• or a Dat URL
• the dat.json file (seen above)

You map the folder name to download the data with the dat dependency URL:

{
  "dats": {
    "tweet-data": "https://datproject.org/karissa/more-tweets-more-votes",
    "data-in-kind": "dat://37ad8eb8d7f#d7e7ehff",
    "another-dataset": {
      "url": "dat://37ad8eb8d7f...",
      "title": "This is My Dataset",
      "description": "This is a one or two line description of the archive for Human People",
      "author": "Karissa McKelvey <karissa@mckelvey.edu>"
    }
  }
}

Then someone can type dat . and when there is a dat.json file and it would download the data to the given folders.