June 2000 - Zope-Dev

Full-text Indexing FOLLOW-UP
by Thomas Weholt 27 Jun '00

27 Jun '00

Hi ( again ) Wouldn`t Zope as a web-database integrator benefit from a feature like full-text searching? ( Everybody answers yes and nods. ) It seems as if Zope is aimed at information-publishing, using a RDBMS as source for that information. An initiative from the Zope community to either create products that support this using the most common RDBMS, support these features in database-adapters if the RDBMS supports it and/or create documentation ( HowTos/Tips ) on how to build a simple full-text searching, give ideas, overviews etc, would make Zope a more viable solution for information-publishing. My reason for asking this is that I`m trying to sell OpenSource to my co-workers, show that Open can be just as good as any commercial, Closed-Sourced alternative. When I said that full-text searching wasn`t running out-of-the-box I was laughed at. The solution used in my company is Windows 2000 server, MS SQL 7.0 and SiteServer/MS IIS. To compete with this full-text searching is a must. I used PostgreSQL 7.0.2 with Zope and PostgreSQL has a c-library for full-text searching included in the source. If we could get this to work with Zope we would be a bit closer. I`m going to dive into this, so if somebody wants to help, has tips or whatever, please feel free to email me. Thomas

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Product author's guide to Zope 2.2+ is ready...
by Brian Lloyd 27 Jun '00

27 Jun '00

Hi all, As promised, I've written up a guide for product authors that talks about the security changes in Zope 2.2+, what they mean to product authors and how to ensure that your products work with 2.2: http://www.zope.org/Documentation/How-To/ProductAuthorUpdateGuide/index_ html Brian Lloyd brian(a)digicool.com Software Engineer 540.371.6909 Digital Creations http://www.digicool.com

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Why Racks And Specialists Are DataSources (Re: Specialists in Specialists) Specialists)
by mike 27 Jun '00

27 Jun '00

There are three reasons: Reason #1. There Are No Number 3. I like very much polynesian counting system which includes only numbers 'one', 'two' and 'many'. It has much sense in computing environment. One is simple variable. Two is a pair: {key:value}, (a,(b,(c,d))), object.method and so on. The many is all the rest. How it related to ZPatterns? Look: 1. we have *Rack* (level 1) 2. Rack is inserted into (used by) *Specialist* (level 2) 3. Specialist can be inserted into other Specialist, but to do it we have change Specialist's type (by replacing retrieveItem method). This is definitely changing of the type because the Specialist gets new message handler (and changes the signature). Doing this we get new *ModifiedSpecialist* (level 3). If we think about two chained specialists we see all the three levels--not one, not two, not many. There should not be 'three' or 'four' or 'twenty five' levels, I repeat again: one, two, or many. Reason #2. Allow People Implement ZPatterns Algebra! Specialists are Aspects. They are much like colored filters which breath the life into black-and-white pictures. Let's think about the stack of filters (chain of Specialists again). What do we see? First filter in the stack (Rack) slightly differs from others. It is much like terminator in the chain or, from the other end, the source of pictures. See again. Second filter differs from third and four. Why? Third and four have added 'retrieveItem' method and second has not. This should be reimplemented in way which allow painless stacking of the Specialists, and Rack should be special case of Specialist, which allow no further cascading. Moreover, Rack is 'colorless' filter with the 'image' (DataSkin) on its back side, which 'weaves' no aspects but StorageIndependentPersistence. Let me invent a small algebra. 1. Let us define a space of roles with points having coordinates R=(r1,r2,...) where R is 'role meanings' vector or somewhat in this sense. 2. There is a zero value with sense 'no role'. If object (point) has no roles at all it's in the (0,0,...) point. The ZPatterns zero is DataSkin. 3. Let us define set of operators F which are transforming point coordinates by changing role meanings. R' = F( R, P), P = (p1,p2,p3...) where P is parameter vector. 4. Let our operators be instantiable: Fp(R) = F( R, P), P=(p1,p2,...) 5. Now we can do composition: R' = Fa( Fb( Fc( R))), which can mean in real life: ThisContextRole = ShoppingCart( Client( ZSession( Rack( DataSkin)))) Looks good? I think yes. The only obstacle is the Rack-Specialist incompatibility. Reason #3. I'm too lazy to write retrieveItem each time I need compose Specialists - I do it too often :-) ================================== > (Note, by the way, that the DataManager interface doesn't support > getItem/newItem, so I can't just make Specialist use DataManagers. > Customizers, for example have no idea what objects they're customizing, so > they can't support getItem.) I suggest you set up this (or similar) hierarchy which solve the problem: DataManager DataSouce Specialist Rack and replace 'Racks' tab with the 'DataSources' tab. Mike

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broken selection property support in z2.2
by Scott Parish 27 Jun '00

27 Jun '00

I tried creating a zclass that had a property sheet with a selection type, which i had reference a property of a given name. I then went to the root folder in zope and created that property as a lines type. When i created an instance of my zclass though, it said "no value for given_name". To fix this i changed the OFS/properties.dtml file to use the same syntax as the properties.dtml in z2.1: <dtml-elif "type=='selection'"> <dtml-if "_.has_key(select_variable)"> <select name="<dtml-var id>"> <dtml-in "_[select_variable]"> It used to use hasProperty and getProperty methods. I'm not entirely sure why they were used, or what they are suppose to do differently, but it doesn't seem to work. sRp -- Scott Parish http://srparish.net

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2.2.0b3 - try/except changed?
by Dr. Ross Lazarus 27 Jun '00

27 Jun '00

This new beta has fixed some problems for me and the documentation on the new security model for products has really helped... However, I seem to be getting errors in previously (2.1.6) dtml try/except structures. 1. <dtml-except> now seems to die unless there's an error_type parameter (I usually don't need them...) - presumably a new buglet? 2. <dtml-try><dtml-var "fooZSQL"></dtml-try> doesn't catch exceptions in SybaseDA connected ZSQL method fooZSQL anymore?? I'm pretty sure this is a change from 2.1.6 behaviour - and a change for the worse IMHO - it's very useful to be able to expect a try/except structure to trap ALL errors....gracefully Could some kind soul confirm that it's not just me so I can pop this into the collector please? -- Dr Ross Lazarus Associate Professor and Sub-Dean for Information Technology Faculty of Medicine, Room 126A, A27, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia Tel: (+61 2) 93514429 Mobile: +61414872482 Fax: (+61 2) 93516646 Email: rossl(a)med.usyd.edu.au

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Re: [Zope-dev] calling external method from external method
by Dieter Maurer 26 Jun '00

26 Jun '00

Robert Roberts writes: > How do I call one external method from another external method? You simply call it. > Here is what I mean: > > The user has entered the id of valid external method in a form field. > (This is during setup of a Product and is not accessible anonymously) > > At a later point, an external method is running (part of the product) > that gets the id that was entered above. > > I would then like to execute the method belonging to that id from > within the python method that is running. Your main problem: resolve the "id" into an object. For this, you should either pass a namespace or an object as parameter to the first method. If you use a namespace "ns", you access "id" by "ns[id]", for an object "o", you would use "getattr(o,id)". Once you have the method corresponding to "id", you simply call it. Dieter

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Re: [Zope-dev] New security model and products breaking zope management
by R. David Murray 26 Jun '00

26 Jun '00

On Mon, 26 Jun 2000, Lalo Martins wrote: > I had the same problem ("Contents" tab not appearing) and it > didn't even occur to me that it might be a Product (because > that happened before the update on Products was released). > > After much munching trough the code, I made the simple change > (attached) to lib/python/app/Management.py based on the > warnings given by that same file and > lib/python/AccessControl/ZopeSecurityPolicy.py - and now my > Zope 2.2 is working just fine. > > I don't know whether the problem is in a Product or > Management.py, but my "fix" makes sense to me... Well, your fix fixed the "a_" problem, but not the permissions problem (I don't get prompted for a login when accessing /manage_main). I haven't gotten too far on my testing yet, but I have shown that a zero length __init__.py file in the EMarket product directory still yeilds the problem. I don't understand the product import process, so I don't know what else does get loaded with a zero length __init__ file. I'll do more experimenting Wednesday... --RDM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Management.py.orig Thu Jun 22 01:18:59 2000 +++ Management.py Thu Jun 22 01:48:48 2000 @@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ if o is None: continue try: - if validate(value=o): + if validate(container=self, value=o): result.append(d) except: if not hasattr(o, '__roles__'):

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New security model and products breaking zope management
by R. David Murray 26 Jun '00

26 Jun '00

OK, I've stared at this for a couple days and have not made any progress. Perhaps others will have some insights. Zope 2.2.0b2, clean install. Works fine. Add EMarket. Now the management is broken. Accessing the base URL of the site with /manage_main appended gives you the file list view of the root folder, with no prompt for authentication. Accessing /manage prompts for a login, but the right panel view is the import/export screen and not the folder list. There's other weird stuff, like a key error on "a_", which appears to be temporary variable used in one of the DTML management pages. I've read Brian's 2.2 product security update, and it looks to me like EMarket is Doing the Right Thing (though I haven't checked completely for unprotected methods yet), which makes sense since it was a working product <grin>. I have a private report that eTailor also has this problem, but haven't tested it myself. There was another 2.2.0b2 bug report on the mailing list recently that gave similar problem symptoms (import/export screen in management) that also looks to be the result of an installed product. No report as to which product yet. So, what could a product be doing that would cause the management interface to break like this? It seems like it must be munging the permission list for folders. I do see a place where EMarket is copying stuff from Folder, but it takes care to *copy* the one data structure that it actually changes. Still, could the fact that other stuff is referenced directly be interacting with the new security system somehow? I'm about to start running experiments to see if I can figure out what in the code is causing the problem, but I feel like I'm groping in the dark so far. Any clues or research suggestions greatfully accepted. --RDM

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Installing Tracker
by Brett Carter 26 Jun '00

26 Jun '00

I was trying to install the Tracker product on Zope 2.1.6/Debian Linux. I've gotten the TrackerBase product to install, however, when I go to the control_panel/Products, and try to import Tracker.zexp I get the following error: Error type: ImportError Error value: No module named AbstractClasses.Entities Thanks, -Brett

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2.2 permission problem with adding ZClass Instance as user in DTML
by Bill Anderson 26 Jun '00

26 Jun '00

OK, I have aproblem that is largely baffling me. I have Meerting Management installed and working properly ... for the most part. If I use the following code to add a Managed Meeting, it works fine: <a href="/LAN/manage_addProduct/MeetingManagement/ManagedMeeting_factory">Add LAN Party</a> I get the form, and it adds as user just fine. Anonymous wokrs fine too. However, this is not only ugly, it wreaks havoc with my navtrail. So I copied my code from KnowledgeKit, and changed to suit the product: Form calls as action the method CreateEvent: <dtml-with "manage_addProduct['MeetingManagement']"> <dtml-call "ManagedMeeting_Add(_.None, _)"> </dtml-with> And it barfs on permissions, requesting a username/pass combo through Basic HTTP Auth, as opposed to the cookie login I am using (Membership 0.6.0). The traceback is less than helpful, but if anyone wants it, I'll post it. Any help much appreciated, since I'll be able to return to working on some cool stuff once this is resolved. Bill

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