[AVRO-1366] Avro 1.7.5 specification description of Object Container Files Metadata is wrong

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 1.7.5
• Fix Version/s: 1.7.6
• Component/s: spec
• Labels: documentation patch

Environment

http://avro.apache.org/docs/current/spec.html

• Assignee: Doug Cutting
• Reporter: John McHugh
• Created: 26/Aug/13 15:44
• Updated: 23/Jan/14 21:58
• Resolved: 12/Sep/13 22:00

Description

In the documentation, the metadata is described as
"File metadata consists of:
A long indicating the number of metadata key/value pairs.
For each pair, a string key and bytes value."
In fact, the metadata appears to be a map. If this is the case, the description should be something like.

"File metadata is represented by an Avro map coded as a series of blocks where each block consists of:
A long indicating the number of metadata map key/value pairs in the block.
For each pair, a string key and bytes value.
A long value of zero following a block indicates that there are no more blocks in the map."

Attempting to process the metadata using the existing specification results in an unexplained 0 byte following the last bytes value.