Why does axis use an accessor called "multiref" when serialising soap encoded data?

[NJ Rogers, Learning and Research Technology]

Hi

From reading the encoding specs for both Soap 1.1 & Soap 1.2, I would like 
to clarify Axis' use of the element called "multiRef".

For example, in soap encoded response messages I get data that looks like 
this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"; 
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"; 
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance";>
<soapenv:Body>
 <ns1:rubyQueryResponse 
soapenv:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"; 
xmlns:ns1="urn:rubysoapservices">
  <rubyQueryReturn xsi:type="soapenc:Array" 
soapenc:arrayType="ns1:RubyInfo[3]" 
xmlns:soapenc="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/";>
   <item href="#id0"/>
   <item href="#id1"/>
   <item href="#id2"/>
  </rubyQueryReturn>
 </ns1:rubyQueryResponse>
 <multiRef id="id1" soapenc:root="0" 
soapenv:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"; 
xsi:type="ns2:RubyInfo" 
xmlns:soapenc="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"; 
xmlns:ns2="urn:rubysoapservices">
  <ruby_category href="#id3"/>
  <ruby_owner href="#id4"/>
  <ruby_product href="#id5"/>
  <update xsi:type="xsd:string" xsi:nil="true"/>
 </multiRef>
.....
.....

From reading the specs I might have expected the <multiRef> element to not 
exist, and, in its place for there to be an element named in respect of the 
complex type ie: ns1:RubyInfo.  (ie the Node is expressed as a typed 
element).

All I seek to confirm here is that use of an element called "multiRef" is 
*Axis-specific*, arbitrarily* named, and built in to the code.  ie Axis 
implementors prefer to use this element in combination with xsi:typing to 
represent multi-reference nodes. Is that correct?

Many thanks
Nikki
* of course I understand that the choice of name for this element 
corresponds to the concept of multi-referencing, but my point is that this 
element could in fact have been named anything.

----------------------
NJ Rogers, Technical Researcher
(Semantic Web Applications Developer)
Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT)
Email:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tel: +44(0)117 9287096 (Direct)
Tel: +44(0)117 9287193 (Office)