[yang-doctors] usage of mandatory node in an optional choice

[Andy Bierman <[e-mail]>]

Hi,

I am working on a bug in our server, and I noticed the NACM rule choice
is a bit odd -- why is leaf path within implied case "path" a mandatory
node?
Why does this node have mandatory=true and none of the other leafs have
that?

Is this 'path' leaf really mandatory, given that the choice is optional?
Perhaps this is future-proofing -- making sure if the case is augmented
that the path node is still provided?  (If so, then why not do all
short-case
definitions this way?)

IMO this usage of mandatory true should be avoided, or clarified, or both...

Andy


        choice rule-type {
            description
              "This choice matches if all leafs present in the rule
             match the request.  If no leafs are present, the
             choice matches all requests.";
            leaf rpc-name {
              type union {
                type matchall-string-type
<http://www.netconfcentral.org/modulereport/ietf-netconf-acm#matchall-string-type.109>;
                type string;
              }
              description
                "This leaf matches if it has the value '*' or if
                 its value equals the requested protocol operation
                 name.";
            }
            leaf notification-name {
              type union {
                type matchall-string-type
<http://www.netconfcentral.org/modulereport/ietf-netconf-acm#matchall-string-type.109>;
                type string;
              }
              description
                "This leaf matches if it has the value '*' or if its
                 value equals the requested notification name.";
            }
            leaf path {
              type node-instance-identifier
<http://www.netconfcentral.org/modulereport/ietf-netconf-acm#node-instance-identifier.175>;
              mandatory true;
              description
                "Data Node Instance Identifier associated with the
                 data node, action, or notification controlled by
                 this rule.

                 Configuration data or state data instance
                 identifiers start with a top-level data node.  A
                 complete instance identifier is required for this
                 type of path value.

                 The special value '/' refers to all possible
                 datastore contents.";
            }
          }  // choice rule-type