Editorial: Clarify document grammar rules (#840)

leebyron · web-flow · commit f8b75d30970c · 2021-04-08T21:56:01.000-07:00
Factored out of #777. Clarifies when type definition & extension can and cannot be included in executable documents To do this more clearly, this introduces a number of new grammar rules. This does not change the actual behavior of a parser (all existing docs are parsed equivalently, no new docs are legal). However instead of using language that manipulates existing rules this can just reference those already restricted. Hopefully this actually is useful for implementations which seek to offer clear subsets for each use case.
diff --git a/spec/Appendix B -- Grammar Summary.md b/spec/Appendix B -- Grammar Summary.md
@@ -119,8 +119,9 @@ Document : Definition+
 
 Definition :
   - ExecutableDefinition
-  - TypeSystemDefinition
-  - TypeSystemExtension
+  - TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension
+
+ExecutableDocument : ExecutableDefinition+
 
 ExecutableDefinition :
   - OperationDefinition
@@ -209,11 +210,19 @@ Directives[Const] : Directive[?Const]+
 
 Directive[Const] : @ Name Arguments[?Const]?
 
+TypeSystemDocument : TypeSystemDefinition+
+
 TypeSystemDefinition :
   - SchemaDefinition
   - TypeDefinition
   - DirectiveDefinition
 
+TypeSystemExtensionDocument : TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension+
+
+TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension :
+  - TypeSystemDefinition
+  - TypeSystemExtension
+
 TypeSystemExtension :
   - SchemaExtension
   - TypeExtension
diff --git a/spec/Section 2 -- Language.md b/spec/Section 2 -- Language.md
@@ -233,8 +233,9 @@ Document : Definition+
 
 Definition :
   - ExecutableDefinition
-  - TypeSystemDefinition
-  - TypeSystemExtension
+  - TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension
+
+ExecutableDocument : ExecutableDefinition+
 
 ExecutableDefinition :
   - OperationDefinition
@@ -244,12 +245,19 @@ A GraphQL Document describes a complete file or request string operated on
 by a GraphQL service or client. A document contains multiple definitions, either
 executable or representative of a GraphQL type system.
 
-Documents are only executable by a GraphQL service if they contain an
-{OperationDefinition} and otherwise only contain {ExecutableDefinition}.
-However documents which do not contain {OperationDefinition} or do contain
-{TypeSystemDefinition} or {TypeSystemExtension} may still be parsed
-and validated to allow client tools to represent many GraphQL uses which may
-appear across many individual files.
+Documents are only executable by a GraphQL service if they are
+{ExecutableDocument} and contain at least one {OperationDefinition}. A
+Document which contains {TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension} must not be executed;
+GraphQL execution services which receive a Document containing these should
+return a descriptive error.
+
+GraphQL services which only seek to execute GraphQL requests and not construct
+a new GraphQL schema may choose to only permit {ExecutableDocument}.
+
+Documents which do not contain {OperationDefinition} or do contain
+{TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension} may still be parsed and validated to allow
+client tools to represent many GraphQL uses which may appear across many
+individual files.
 
 If a Document contains only one operation, that operation may be unnamed. If
 that operation is a query without variables or directives then it may also be
@@ -259,10 +267,6 @@ operations, each operation must be named. When submitting a Document with
 multiple operations to a GraphQL service, the name of the desired operation to
 be executed must also be provided.
 
-GraphQL services which only seek to provide GraphQL query execution may choose
-to only include {ExecutableDefinition} and omit the {TypeSystemDefinition} and
-{TypeSystemExtension} rules from {Definition}.
-
 
 ## Operations
 
diff --git a/spec/Section 3 -- Type System.md b/spec/Section 3 -- Type System.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ used to determine if a query is valid. The type system also describes the
 input types of query variables to determine if values provided at runtime
 are valid.
 
+TypeSystemDocument : TypeSystemDefinition+
+
 TypeSystemDefinition :
   - SchemaDefinition
   - TypeDefinition
@@ -15,27 +17,36 @@ The GraphQL language includes an
 describe a GraphQL service's type system. Tools may use this definition language
 to provide utilities such as client code generation or service boot-strapping.
 
-GraphQL tools which only seek to provide GraphQL query execution may choose not
-to parse {TypeSystemDefinition}.
-
-A GraphQL Document which contains {TypeSystemDefinition} must not be executed;
-GraphQL execution services which receive a GraphQL Document containing type
-system definitions should return a descriptive error.
+GraphQL tools or services which only seek to execute GraphQL requests and not
+construct a new GraphQL schema may choose not to allow {TypeSystemDefinition}.
+Tools which only seek to produce schema and not execute requests may choose to
+only allow {TypeSystemDocument} and not allow {ExecutableDefinition} or
+{TypeSystemExtension} but should provide a descriptive error if present.
 
 Note: The type system definition language is used throughout the remainder of
 this specification document when illustrating example type systems.
 
 
 ## Type System Extensions
 
+TypeSystemExtensionDocument : TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension+
+
+TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension :
+  - TypeSystemDefinition
+  - TypeSystemExtension
+
 TypeSystemExtension :
   - SchemaExtension
   - TypeExtension
 
-Type system extensions are used to represent a GraphQL type system which has been
-extended from some original type system. For example, this might be used by a
-local service to represent data a GraphQL client only accesses locally, or by a
-GraphQL service which is itself an extension of another GraphQL service.
+Type system extensions are used to represent a GraphQL type system which has
+been extended from some original type system. For example, this might be used by
+a local service to represent data a GraphQL client only accesses locally, or by
+a GraphQL service which is itself an extension of another GraphQL service.
+
+Tools which only seek to produce and extend schema and not execute requests may
+choose to only allow {TypeSystemExtensionDocument} and not allow
+{ExecutableDefinition} but should provide a descriptive error if present.
 
 
 ## Descriptions
diff --git a/spec/Section 5 -- Validation.md b/spec/Section 5 -- Validation.md
@@ -97,20 +97,20 @@ union HumanOrAlien = Human | Alien
 **Formal Specification**
 
 * For each definition {definition} in the document.
-* {definition} must be {OperationDefinition} or {FragmentDefinition} (it must
-  not be {TypeSystemDefinition}).
+* {definition} must be {ExecutableDefinition} (it must not be
+  {TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension}).
 
 **Explanatory Text**
 
 GraphQL execution will only consider the executable definitions Operation and
 Fragment. Type system definitions and extensions are not executable, and are not
 considered during execution.
 
-To avoid ambiguity, a document containing {TypeSystemDefinition} is invalid
-for execution.
+To avoid ambiguity, a document containing {TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension} is
+invalid for execution.
 
 GraphQL documents not intended to be directly executed may include
-{TypeSystemDefinition}.
+{TypeSystemDefinitionOrExtension}.
 
 For example, the following document is invalid for execution since the original
 executing schema may not know about the provided type extension:
