April 1999 - Zope - Zope lists

Some basic questions about Zope development
by Robert Carey 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

I am new to both Python and Zope. I have been playing with Zope for the past few weeks and my company is seriously considering using it in a project. So far I am enjoying both the Python language and the Zope framework, but I am not sure I am really "getting" the Zope way of doing things. In particular, there is a problem I have solved in two pieces, and I would like to know if the solutions are legitimate ways of doing these things. 1. In the first case I wanted to make a couple of queries to a database and then merge the results using Python. I am using gadfly, so I needed to get to the same in-core representation of the data that Zope is using, otherwise I would simply have opened a new connection to the database server. So I have a gadfly database connection, named "conn", open in Zope. I pass it into an external method using the following DTML:  Then, in the external method (with the same name as its Zope identifier) I extract the gadfly connection from the Zope DB using the following code: def dump_event_user(conn): connection = conn().db c = connection.cursor() c.execute("select * from event_user") ... I know this works, but since db is a data member, not a method, I don't know if this interface is meant to be accessible to external methods. Is it public? And in general how can I find this kind of thing out for myself? 2. My second question is much more general. One of the things I found really useful early on was the ability to apply the DTML "in" tag to database queries:    However, when I decided to do a database query from within an external method as described above, I found that I no longer had as easy access to the metadata - the names of the columns. It would be really useful to be able to refer to the data from DTML as though it had been returned by a Z SQL Method. I checked the DTML documentation for the #in tag, and found that it only directly discussed this feature in terms of Z SQL Methods and Confera Topics. It does say that it can be used on sequences, but there is no example. So I played around with the Python code and, emulating the generic example, came up with something like this: class myobj: def __init__(self, n, p): self.n = n self.p = p def name(self): return self.n def phone(self): return self.p def test_sequence(): ret = [] ret.append(myobj("Tom", "898-8376")) ret.append(myobj("Jon", "616-0349")) return ret Which I found I could call using DTML like this:  <br>name  <br>phone   Similarly I found could package up data returned from the DB as objects and pass them back into Zope this way. Again I just wanted to confirm that this is the (or a) correct way of going about this kind of thing. I hope all this is not covered in some obvious place that I missed, such as a faq - I have tried to read as much of the docs as I can, but there is a lot to plough through, particularly when you are not sure exactly what you are looking for. Thanks, Rob

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RE: [Zope] URL problems
by Michel Pelletier 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

> -----Original Message----- > From: Tim Hawes [mailto:tim.hawes@ncmail.net] > Sent: Monday, April 19, 1999 3:55 PM > To: michel(a)digicool.com > Cc: zope(a)zope.org > Subject: Re: [Zope] URL problems > > > fact that new images can not be created straight-forwardly, > because the > url for a new image is skewed as thus: > http://foo.bar.net/Zope/production/.?%3Amethod=manage_addDTMLD >Removing the "." between "production/" and the "?" by hand works, but this >is simply an 'out of the question' answer for something to distribute >enterprise wide. A customer of ours, who uses Netscape Server throughout their system, has run into this problem. This is a bug in Netscape Server. When NS sees a the . in the URL, it barfs, and the request never even gets to Zope. Note that, according to the RFC, a . in a URL is perfectly legal, therefore this is definately a NS problem. I hate to wax philosophic here, but this is where open source software kicks commercial software down to expensive junk. The easy solution is to use a standards compliant server, and not Netscape. Given Netscape's current market situation it may be a while before they ever fix this. The hard solution is to go through all of the Zope files, and change every form action that is "." to  and all ".."s to  Note, this is not tested, and may not even work. -Michel

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RE: [Zope] Preparing data for Catalog
by Michel Pelletier 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

> -----Original Message----- > From: Kevin Dangoor [mailto:kid@kendermedia.com] > Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 11:59 AM > To: zope(a)zope.org > Subject: [Zope] Preparing data for Catalog > > > Hi, > > The catalog feature will gracefully solve a number of problems for > me. Between now and the time that the Catalog stuff starts to appear, > I'd like to start populating my ZODB with new information. Since my > whole intent is to use the Catalog feature, I want to be sure that I'm > setting things up well for that... > > I am planning on storing most of my information as Folder > properties. Given a bunch of Folders with information stored as > properties, will we be able to easily set up indexes for those > properties? Is there something else we should do to ready our data for > this feature? > What or how the Catalog will work is not entirely cemented at this point. However, since properties can be used like any other object attributes, I would say yes, you will be able to Catalog your objects by those properties. -Michel > Thanks, > Kevin > > > _______________________________________________ > Zope maillist - Zope(a)zope.org > http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope > > (For developer-specific issues, use the companion list, > zope-dev(a)zope.org - http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope-dev ) >

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RE: [Zope] Extended use of the calendar tag
by Michel Pelletier 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

> -----Original Message----- > From: Jeff K. Hoffman [mailto:jkhoffman@usa.net] > Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 11:53 AM > To: Ty Sarna > Cc: zope(a)zope.org > Subject: Re: [Zope] Extended use of the calendar tag > > > On 23 Apr 1999, Ty Sarna wrote: > > > Alternately, with more magic you could include the date as > part of the > > URL. (/some/place/form/1999-05-14) > > Would Ty, or anyone else, care to expound on what this magic might be? > > I have an application I am working on which could really use something > like this, but my brain is short-circuiting trying to figure > out how to > achieve it in a dynamic fashion. > Putting the information in the actual URL is easy, that just involves using DTML and the var tag to format the URL: If the var 'blah' equaled 'aling': <a href="/my/ding/"> The trick is getting the 'aling' object to be traversable. There are several ways to make an object traversalbe, or another way of putting is is: ZPublisher tries several different traversal mechanisms in this order: Example URL: /my/ding/aling/ call __bobo_traverse__: my.ding.__bobo_traverse__(request) If the object 'ding' does not have a __bobo_traverse__ method then ZPublisher tries: getattr: my.ding.aling (note: '-' is illegal in a python name, so this first method obviously wont work for a date with dashes in it) If this fails with a 'AttributeError' exception, ZPublisher tries: getitem: my.ding['aling'] (this would work for items with '-' in them) If this fails, ZPulisher gives up and raises a 'NotFound'. -Michel > jkh > > > _______________________________________________ > Zope maillist - Zope(a)zope.org > http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope > > (For developer-specific issues, use the companion list, > zope-dev(a)zope.org - http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope-dev ) >

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Preparing data for Catalog
by Kevin Dangoor 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

Hi, The catalog feature will gracefully solve a number of problems for me. Between now and the time that the Catalog stuff starts to appear, I'd like to start populating my ZODB with new information. Since my whole intent is to use the Catalog feature, I want to be sure that I'm setting things up well for that... I am planning on storing most of my information as Folder properties. Given a bunch of Folders with information stored as properties, will we be able to easily set up indexes for those properties? Is there something else we should do to ready our data for this feature? Thanks, Kevin

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Thank you!
by Tom Deprez 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

Hi, First: Thanks to all who have replied to my question of 'Why using Zope'. Second: Others, who still want to reply. Please do! It can only help to improve me. Ok, For what I understand, Zope will get better and better every time. :-). I've a Windows background and I program in Delphi (does somebody of you know that language?). I started with Linux one month ago and then found out about Zope. Glad I did! My only other question is as follows: I believe ZTables is database with some pretty good capabilities. I'm only wondering if it also has some sort of exchange link. Like, an ODBC-driver or something like that. This would make me help to program some stuff and use the data in ZTables too. Regards, Tom.

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Re: [Zope] not to acquire from parent
by Service Informatique CHSR 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

>Hmm... I'm not sure if this is what your looking for, but if an object >is not aquired, then it's not wrapped, if it's not wrapped, then it >doesn't have the attributes aq_base, aq_self, and aq_parent. So: > > > Then it's not an aquisition wrapped object > >This help? Thanks for your response. Nope, it doesn't help. Let me explain this better: My sidebar provide content taken from acquired tinytable from the toplevel. This works great, but sometimes, I want to modify the content *only* for a folder but not for its subfolders. So, I wanted to test the existence of a local_tinytable in the current folder, and if it exists, use it instead of the acquired tinytable. I couldn't manage to do this in DTML. I had to write this external method: def not_acquired(self, objectname): self=self.aq_base try: getattr(self, objectname) return 1 except: return None Note that this external method has to be called from a DTML Method so that self is the containing Folder. This works, but I'd like to use as few as possible external methods. Thanks, Jephte CLAIN Service Informatique CHSR

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RE: [Zope] publishing question
by Tom Deprez 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

Can somebody tell me where I can find emacs for linux and NT? And perhaps the EFS also?

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Objet : Re: [Zope] A little DTML problem?
by François-Régis CHALAOUX 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

Hi All, Thanks for help, It seems to work now :) Bye, FR. Here is the code :  <form ACTION="test_index_do(REQUEST)"> <INPUT TYPE="RADIO" NAME="softid:int" VALUE=""> <strong> </strong><BR>  <INPUT TYPE="HIDDEN" NAME="domain:int" VALUE=""> <br>  <input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit"><br><br> </form>  SQL METHOD : view_domain_of_soft ============================== argument : softwareid select distinct Y.domname from softdomain X, domain Y where idsoftware= AND (X.iddomain = Y.iddomain) >>> "François-Régis CHALAOUX" <fchalaou(a)strasbourg.synthelabo.fr> 23/04/99 11:04:57 >>> Hi All, I simplified my dtml document with the remark from Richard Jones, thanks Richard I learn every day with this cool mailing-list:) It seems better but have always a problem to give 'view_domain_of_soft' 'idsoftware' to drink. 'idsoftware' is obtained with 'view_software' sql method. FR 8-) DTML document PART ==================  <form ACTION="test_index_do(REQUEST)"> <INPUT TYPE="RADIO" NAME="softid:int" VALUE=""> <strong> </strong><BR>  <INPUT TYPE="HIDDEN" NAME="domain:int" VALUE=""> <br>   <input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit"><br><br> </form> SQL METHOD : view_software ======================== select * from software SQL METHOD : view_domain_of_soft ============================== argument : idsoftware select distinct Y.domname from softdomain X, domain Y where idsoftware= AND (X.iddomain = Y.iddomain) ERROR =======  </body> </html>  _______________________________________________ Zope maillist - Zope(a)zope.org http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope (For developer-specific issues, use the companion list, zope-dev(a)zope.org - http://www.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope-dev )

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RE: [Zope] RE: [ZDP] CoolFAQ design questions
by Rob Page 23 Apr '99

23 Apr '99

> > > > Joe Van Andel asked the following question: > > > > > I'm not quite clear on how Z-Tables will be used for > > CoolFAQ. Is > > > > each Q&A > > > > > going to be stored in an entry in the Z-Table? How do > > > you plan to > > > > > represent the "natural" outline structure that most FAQs > > > would want: > > > > > Topic 1 > > > > > Q1.1 > > > > > Q1.2 > > > > > Subtopic a > > > > > Q1.2.1 > > > > > Subtopic b > > > > > Topic 2 > > > > > Q2.1 > > > > > Q2.2 Z Tables has quite an interesting capability in that in can create and manage multi-level indices on the data. We call these Hierarchies for obvious reasons. It comes from a very early experience in needing to allow users to browse large numbers of automotive advertisements. We could store the ads in one database (the grand dad of ZTables) and create several Hierarchies. For example, you might want to browse starting my price: Price Band Make Model or maybe you were Make drive: Make Model Price Band Sooo, one might create some fields to store the FAQ's placement and then create Hierarchy indices on those columns. An added bonus is that "flat" searching (e.g., Make=Chevrolet) will use the index data structures created by either of the Hierarchies above. > > > > I leave the floor to Martijn Pieters, our Z Tables > > > advocate, or anyone > > > > else who wants to answer. This'll help me increase my Z > > Tables Zen > > > > too. > > > > :) > > > > > > > Well, Z Tables is supposed to be an SQL database on top of > > > Zope, right? No... I'll ask Jim Fulton to chime in here a little bit... > > > http://www.sths.org/genus/uber/renderall > > > > > > is the address of a page I am currently working on. It > should look > > > something like > > > > > > Animalia - Kingdom > > > CHORDATA - Phylum > > > UROCHORDATA - Subphylum > > > VERTEBRATA - Subphylum > > > MAMMALIA - Class > > > EUTHERIA - Subclass > > > PRIMATES - Order > > > ANTHROPOIDEA - Suborder > > > HOMINOIDEA - Superfamily > > > HOMINIDAE - Family > > > Well, I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that ZTables might not be the best choice if your needs are for an arbitrary hierarchy. I'll also ask for Jim's technical reasoning to either support or discard my recommendation... <SNIP> --Rob

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