Merge pull request #1306 from json-api/profile-errors-tweaks

dgeb · web-flow · commit db8ac13e7ea9 · 2018-11-04T16:48:34.000-05:00
cleanup(profiles): special case default handling of unrecognized query param vals
diff --git a/_format/1.1/index.md b/_format/1.1/index.md
@@ -2177,15 +2177,20 @@ when encountering unrecognized values.
 If a profile does not define its own rules for handling unrecognized values, 
 the following rule applies by default:
 
-  1. If the unrecognized value is a JSON object, and the only thing that makes 
-     it unrecognized is that it contains one or more keys that have no meaning
-     assigned to them (in the latest revision of the profile that the application 
-     is aware of), then the application **MUST** simply ignore those unknown 
-     keys and continue processing the profile.
-
-  2. However, in all other cases, the application **MUST** assume that the 
-     profile has been applied erroneously and **MUST** totally ignore the 
-     profile (i.e., process the document as if the profile were not there).
+  1. If the value of a profile-defined query parameter is unrecognized, the 
+     server **MUST** fail the request and respond with a `400 Bad Request` and 
+     an [error object][error objects] indicating the problematic parameter.
+     
+  2. Otherwise, if the unrecognized value is a JSON object in the 
+     request/response document, and the only thing that makes it unrecognized 
+     is that it contains one or more keys that have no meaning assigned to them
+     (in the latest revision of the profile that the application is aware of),
+     then the application **MUST** simply ignore those unknown keys and 
+     continue processing the profile.
+
+  3. In all other cases, the application **MUST** assume that the profile has
+     been applied erroneously and **MUST** totally ignore the profile (i.e.,
+     process the request as if the profile were not there).
 
 In the case of our example [timestamps profile], it does not define its own 
 rules, so the above defaults would apply. 
