[jdev] Add a timestamp and/or ID to message stanzas

[Dave Cridland]

On Fri Sep 11 14:45:44 2009, John Stewart wrote:
> I've done quite a bit of searching, and so far in the XMPP docs,  
> I've only
> seen references to message IDs as optional, 

They're non-unique, anyway. At best, they're unique in combination  
with (or scoped by) the sender, but they'll realistically be repeated  
with every session.

> and timestamps as being used for
> delayed delivery.

And they're not going to be unique, anyway.

>  So I think I'll be developing a custom extension, in a
> non-standard namespace.
> 
> 
This seems sensible as a first shot at least.

> Questions:
> 1. Have I overlooked an already existing spec for what I need to do?

No, I don't think so. However, I think it's reasonable to consider  
throwing your customer extension at the standards list for comment -  
the general concept of adding a unique identifier to a message seems  
like it ought to be useful in a number of places. It's also pretty  
easy for server vendors to add.


> 2. Can I add this functionality using an external XMPP  
> component(XEP-0114),
> or will I have to write a mod for a specific XMPP server(ejabberd  
> most
> likely)?

It'd have to be a module, plugin, or straightforward hack of some  
kind, yes.

> 3. Is it easy/possible to create a guaranteed unique timestamps in  
> an
> ejabberd component?

Not without serializing the universe.

Please don't, a number of physical phenomena rely on the possibility  
of concurrent events, and hence this would be most inconvenient.

Dave.
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