February 1999 - Zope

load balancing between multiple zope instances, readonly mode.
by Anthony Baxter 23 Feb '99

23 Feb '99

I'm putting together a zope site that stores all non-static data in a backend database (it's really just a fancy way to edit the database). I'm concerned about hangs and delays in the database queries, so what I'm proposing to do is to run multiple zope instances with the same database, and a load balancer in front of them. so, the magic question: can I run multiple zopes off the same var/ directory, with all but one in readonly mode? I thought I remembered seeing something about readonly mode in the mailing list, but I can't find it now... and can anyone think of other ways to do this, without creating fresh copies of the entire tree each time? thanks, Anthony

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File exchange area - example?
by Ross J. Reedstrom 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

Hey Zopists: As the start of a more general "Collaborative Work" functionality, I need to throw a quick file exchange area up onto a Zope site. The download part is dead easy (just steal the 5 lines from www.zope.org/Download/Contrib !), but the generic upload is a tiny bit more difficult. I realize all I need is an appropriate front-end form to manage_addFile - I'm just hoping someone has a DTML snippet I can have, to deal with things like: generate a default ID, set the title to the filename uploaded, deal with name collisions (offer to replace, or rename), anything else I haven't thought of yet... The larger project would end up recreating much of the management functionality of Zope. The problem is the need for a scaleable interface: The full blown Zope management interface is a wonderfully rich tool, and as developers, we keep wanting to add more features, but it's overwhelming for those who need only a limited subset of that functionality. Hmm, this sounds a bit like the "Content Managers/Editors" thread. I see that as one example, the most extreme case of limited functionality. This (file exchange) is another. As a second issue, as far as I can tell, permissions are granted based on Roles. Is it possible to set permissions based on individual Users? One method I could see is creating an individual Role for each user, but that could get unwieldy in the management screens. Ross -- Ross J. Reedstrom, Ph.D., <reedstrm(a)rice.edu> NSBRI Research Scientist/Programmer Computer and Information Technology Institute Rice University, 6100 S. Main St., Houston, TX 77005

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Re: [Zope] Tree snapshot?
by Arpad Kiss 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

Hi, Yes it is possible. You can do it using manage_exportHack/manage_importHack methods. Arpad On Mon, 22 Feb 1999, you wrote: >How would it be possible to create a transportable snapshot of a subset of the >Zope pseudo-filesystem tree? > >My plan is: I grab a bundled snapshot of, say, http://box1/devel/catalog >and install it under http://box2/live/catalog. > >Is this possible? And, is there any existing way to do this, or will I have to >code it? > >--- >Julian Morrison >Programmer (Zereau Ltd) > >_______________________________________________ >Zope maillist - Zope(a)zope.org >http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope

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RE: [Zope] (Fwd) Zope musings
by David Ascher 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

On Mon, 22 Feb 1999, Mike Pelletier wrote: > On Wed, 17 Feb 1999, David Ascher wrote: > > > - a clean, robust, and simple interaction between the user (someone who > > does not want to learn HTML but wants to manage their web page > > nonetheless) and the "web server" -- Zope in this case. > > Do you think it's reasonable to expect to "manage" a web page with no > understanding of, or willingness to learn, the underlying technology? It > wasn't so very long ago that you couldn't consume web content without some > understanding of what was going on, let alone produce it. Have things really > changed enough to allow start-to-finish creation without understanding? It > really has never happened with any other media. The biggest selling point for Zope in my organization has been the ability to delegate content management to the content providers (our webmaster is completely overloaded). To the content providers, the content is just "documents", which they edit in Microsoft Word or the like. Teaching the underlying technology to said content providers is a prodigious waste of time for the organization, which does not see web serving as one of its primary goals. Web serving is simply something that we'll do if it is *easy* and *cheap*. On the topic of not understanding the underlying technology, I think it's safe to say that most content providers don't understand file formats, disk formats, postscript or any of that underlying technology. They understand "Headings", "Titles", "Bold", "Save", "Load", "Undo". All I was arguing for is a pretty face on the editing and publishing process. Which Netscape Composer apparently will do mostly, and WebDAV probably much better soon. --david

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Using ZPublisher with Apache mod_proxy
by James A. Hillyerd 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

Could somebody explain (or give me a pointer to) how ZPublisher is used with mod_proxy? I've seen it mentioned a couple times on the list, but I am not sure how to go about doing it. Thanks. -james [] James A. Hillyerd <jamesh(a)altavista.net> Java Developer [] HyperGlyphics: http://www.hyperglyphics.com/ [] GPG Public Key Fingerprint for 1024D/9F956CDE (Expires 2000-02-01): [] C86F B073 92DF 1E24 EF0B 0118 6061 0FEC 9F95 6CDE

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Adding roles
by julian＠zereau.net 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

Please, can someone tell me how to add new roles to the ACL system (eg: add "authorised_user" to the current list of "manager" and "anonymous".) --- Julian Morrison Programmer (Zereau Ltd)

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RE: [Zope] Tree snapshot?
by Paul Everitt 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

Julian wrote: > My plan is: I grab a bundled snapshot of, say, > http://box1/devel/catalog > and install it under > http://box2/live/catalog. > > Is this possible? And, is there any existing way to do this, > or will I have to > code it? The final Zope 1.10 release, due in the next couple of days, will support this. There has been preliminary, undocumented support all along for it, but 1.10 will provide the interface (a tab for an "Import/Export" view) in the management screen. --Paul Paul Everitt Digital Creations paul(a)digicool.com 540.371.6909

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Basic questions
by Noel Rappin 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

I'm hoping that the members of this list can help me out... I went through the archives and documentation, and couldn't quite answer these questions. I'm just getting into python scripting, and am looking at Zope to integrate that with web applications. I downloaded Zope 1.9, and used the built in ZopeHTTPServer (WinNT, by the way). I read the Technical Introduction to Object Publishing, and it says that objects within published modules can be referred to as URL's. Very cool. However, I don't think that it says how to publish modules to the server in the first place -- the Zope manager will let me use External methods, but it sounds like publishing a module is different. Do I have to use the Product API for this -- if so, than the Technical Introduction document is somewhat misleading? If not, than what is the advantage of using the product API? Second, is there a way to refer to sub-objects if the exact name is not known. For example, let's say I'm trying to write a threaded discussion forum. Each message has a sub-object that is a list of reply posts. Is there a way that I can use a URL to call a method on a specific reply post directly, or do I need some kind of proxy object to mediate the call? I appreciate your time, thanks. Noel ------- Noel Rappin Echo Bridge Productions noel(a)echobridge.com

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Re: [Zope] How-do-I use a form and do an insert/update?
by Philip Aylesworth 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

>Hi, > > I'm still on 1.9, and missing a concept... > > I have defined an addPersonForm that works just like I want, which I > execute by http://localhost:9673/SVC/addPersonForm. > > I have a ZSQL method named addPerson that has arguments: name, addr, > city, state, zip and phone, which works fine by itself (it prompts for > the info)... > > In addPersonForm, the POST method is addPerson... but (now you're > chuckling I'm sure ;-) as you know, the doggone addPerson isn't using the > stuff that addPersonForm collected... I feel your pain! ;) Don't call addPerson from your form. call a DTML method that uses . You can then display info or do a redirect somewhere else. A good approch to get started is to use the Add "Z Search Interface" to create all the parts for a SELECT then edit the methods to do INSERT and UPDATE. (Usually you will want a SELECT at some point anyway!) Good Luck. Phil. ----------------------------------------------------------- Philip Aylesworth mailto:purple@mnsi.net

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Authentication
by julian＠zereau.net 22 Feb '99

22 Feb '99

I want to be able to: * Gather user login and password with a cute login screen of my own devising, not that messy HTTP authentication popup, * Check the username/password pair against the unix /etc/passwd database, and on success log the user into Zope as that username. Is this possible? If so, how? --- Julian Morrison Programmer (Zereau Ltd)

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