node component

Overview

Node components are mesh resources that support and define the mesh structure. Unlike mesh nodes which can contain other mesh nodes, components cannot be extended beyond their own internal structure.

Components can be physically represented as folders or files, and all files and folders within a component folder are considered to be part of that component.

Component Categories

Components are categorized by their facets, including:

typical creation and maintenance patterns (user vs system)
versioning status
folder vs. file
node role (meta and data node flow)

User Components

User components are primarily created and maintained by users or their software agents and services, and represent domain knowledge:

Folder-based user components:

Asset trees: Collections of arbitrary files attached to the mesh (in _assets/ folders)
Next datasets: Draft workspaces for ongoing changes to node flow (in _next/ folders)

File-based user components:

README.md files: User documentation providing context
CHANGELOG.md files: Version history documentation

System Components

System components are usually created or altered by the Weave Process process rather than direct user modification:

Folder-based system components:

metadata flows: Administrative and structural metadata for mesh nodes (in _meta-flow/ folders)
version snapshot: Versioned snapshots of datasets (in _vN/ folders)
Node handles: Components providing referential indirection for nodes as mesh resources (in _node-handle/ folders)

File-based system components:

Resource pages: Generated index.html files for human-readable access
Distribution files: Data files in various RDF formats

Physical vs Logical Structure

Physical Representation:

Folder-based components are represented as folders with underscore prefixes (like _meta-flow/, _assets/)
File-based components are individual files within mesh nodes or other components
Component folders contain all files and folders that belong to that component

Logical Function:

Components extend the namespace but are terminal (cannot contain other mesh nodes or components)
Components provide specialized functionality: metadata, versioning, referential data, or file attachments
Components maintain the semantic structure and operational capabilities of the mesh

Integration with Nodes

Components work in conjunction with mesh nodes to create the complete mesh structure:

Every mesh node contains at least two components: metadata flows and node handles
data nodes contain a single data flow
Any node may contain asset trees (user components) for file attachments

Children

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