February 2000 - Zope

Building tables with dtml
by Berthold Stoeger 06 Feb '00

06 Feb '00

Hello, zope gurus! I've run into yet another newbie problems trying to build tables with DTML: * I need to know which position in the current batch i'm rendering. for this i use the expression: _['sequence-index'] - _['sequence-step-start']. Isn't there something easier? And btw sequence-step-start is not documented => this cost my some nerves. * The tables i build should always have the same numbers of lines, filling the rest of the table with empty lines if necessary. the code i use goes like this (inside dtml-if "sequence-end"): <dtml-in "_.range(_['sequence-index'] - _['sequence-step-start'] + 1, tablesize - 1)"> <dtml-var "standard_empty_line(_.None, _, num=_['sequence-item'] )"> </dtml-in> Again, couldn't this be done more easily? What about implementing 2 new modes: one which calls the <dtml-in> body exactly size times, and sets sequence-item to None when no more lines are available and another one which lets the last batch fit exactly? * I use dynamic dtml-methods to build the tables, and sometimes need more than 1 table per document. So it is very important, that i can use dynamic variablenames. but using start="_[varname]" did not work. Is there a way to do this? if not, would a patch that fixes the problem go into release or would i have to patch every new version of zope? * How can i use dynamic C-formats with dtml-var? I build the table from table definitions, containing a format string. Do i have to use DocumentTemplates? * I noticed that when throwing an error inside a <dtml-in previous|next> tag, the dtml-else path gets executed. i find this annoying as it makes debugging pretty hard. sorry, if all these are faqs... cu, bertl ps: please answer via private mail, i cant follow the list because the disk of the mailserver im using is full since 2 days :(

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Re: [Zope] Malicious HTML in (Squishdot) postings
by Tres Seaver 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

Squishdot <squishdot(a)yahoo.com> wrote > Hi all, > > CERT has issued a security advisory regarding improperly checked output from dynamic > pages. > > The CERT advisory can be found at: > > http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2000-02.html. > > Unfortunately, Squishdot is vulnerable to such problems. However, I (and others in the Zope > community) am trying to find a permanent solution to this. Of course, your help is also > welcome (code patches accepted :^)) > > While each site (e.g. depending on the audience, accessibility, amount of traffic) is vulnerable > in varying degrees to these types of problems, I would urge each administrator to evaluate > their own security policies regarding these problems and take steps appropriate for their own > circumstances. > > In the meantime -- temporarily -- the best way to deal with the problem is to turn moderation > on for everything, and then properly check each posting manually. > > Regards, > > Butch What we need is a handy-dandy-clean-up-user-submitted-HTM-to-take-home-to-Mama function, coded in Python. It would need to strip out / quote ANY "unapproved" tags (for structured text, would it be enough just to quote "&", "<", and ">"?). The list of allowable tags might be passed in as a list, but a first cut could just hardcode "[ 'em', 'strong', 'ul', 'ol', 'li', 'dl', 'dt', 'dd' ]" (or whatever) and be fine. Anyone feel inspired to write it? -- ========================================================= Tres Seaver tseaver(a)palladion.com 713-523-6582 Palladion Software http://www.palladion.com

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Problem with Properties and Methods
by Borno Janekovic 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

Hi, I think again a simple quuestion. In a dtml-document I am calling a dtml-method from a subdirectory <dtml-var "directory.method()"> In the subdirectory the method is looking like: <td colspan=3 bgcolor="<dtml-var color_number>"> color_number is a property in the root directory - with type string and value "#eeeecc" If I test the method directly with view it works correctly If I call it in the document from the rootdirectory I get the following error ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Error Type: KeyError Error Value: color_number Troubleshooting Suggestions This resource may be trying to reference a nonexistent object or variable color_number. The URL may be incorrect. The parameters passed to this resource may be incorrect. A resource that this resource relies on may be encountering an error. For more detailed information about the error, please refer to the HTML source for this page. If the error persists please contact the site maintainer. Thank you for your patience --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What am I doing wrong? Should I better use a dtml-method on in the root directory or why should I use properties? Thanks Borno -- Sent through Global Message Exchange - http://www.gmx.net

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some newbie quesions...
by Juri Jensen 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

Hi, I'm pretty new in this zope world (just played with zope for a week), and I'm also new in the world of programming (I started working with Python a month ago), but I hope that someone could shed some light on how I should solve this problem: I've been working on this pilotproject consisting of a website with documentation only avaiable for authorized people (with a username and a password). The documentation content is variable and should be easy to alter just by placing a new (or revised) document in the right scetion, and voila! the new documentation is avaiable. I started out making som scripts in Python doing the building of a new index.html based on the contents of a section. But if the were any changes in the look of the site, I would have to change the scripts :-( So I stumbled over Zope. Thank God for that (and all you people who created it of course!!). This seems to be the ideal solution. But as the documention to zope is not that matured, it's quite hard for me to find out how to build this. Therefore I'm asking you for some help. Normally I would work with it untill I get a hang af it, but I have a deadline for a working demo hanging over my head, and I really believe that Zope is the right solution. What I need is: 1. A way to let the users subscribe to get a login and a password. They fill in their e-mail address and a name, and get a mail with a password random generated. Their request should be checked by someone in charge before they'll get authorized. 2. Alongside with this I've got a webforum based on the Perl-based Sporum. Does any product exist with the same features as Sporum? I would like to keep it all Zope-based (more control, easier etc.). I hope someone can point me in the right direction (with som codesnippets or links to HOWTOs etc.). Thanks! -- mvh./Best regards Juri Jensen ----------------------------------- Pingvin Partner - Linux løsninger email: juri(a)jones.dk -----------------------------------

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YANQ (Yet another newbie question)
by John E. Vincent 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

Okay I've got products down pretty good but I can't find what I want to do in any documentation. I have a feeling this simply a matter of semantics and I don't know exactly what to look for when searching. What I want to do is call a product I've created from a link or via a URL. What should I be searching for? Are there any specific security concerns calling something this way instead of via normal methods. It would really make the application I am working on easier. Thanks in advance -- John E. Vincent http://www.lusis.org - opensource(libre) webhosting http://www.jyradelix.com - Jyradelix Designs http://www.lusis-integrations.com - Lusis Network Integration Consultants --------------- "Some people call me crazy but I prefer to think of myself as a freelance lunatic" - me

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Re: [Zope] MORE Big things at Digital Creations
by addyd＠unk.edu 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

> P.S. - Our team now boasts: John P, John O, Rob P, Rob M, Bob S, Mike P, > and Mike P What's up with that!? We're going to need AOL-style email > addresses soon! :^) Just to keep it simple, call them all "Bruce". http://humorlinks.com/python/sketches/TheBruces.htm A classic. And oh, how appropriate! :>) Darren Addy University of Nebraska at Kearney Satisfied with a (finally) successful, secure installation of Zope and wondering what he should do next...

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looking for mailhost doc
by Gijs Reulen 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

Hello I would like to use the Zope MailHost for receiving, processing and storing preformatted (maybe XML) email. Is that possible ? I cannot find any docs on the mailhost; where should I look ? Gijs

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Python based ZClass Questions
by James W. Howe 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

I've been playing around with ZClasses. I've created thin Python classes to use as a base class for my ZClass. I have a couple of questions regarding the best way to make use of this base class, however. First, if I create a Python base class, should I use it to control the the collection of base classes used by my ZClass? For example, suppose that I originally create a ZClass which has a base of MyPythonBase. Suppose that MyPythonBase does not inherit from something like ObjectManager. Later I decide that my ZClass needs to have ObjectManager behavior. Can I modify my base class to now inherit from ObjectManager? Second, if I define my base class inheritance from the ZClass definition interface, when I define new ZClasses which inherit from my Python base class, should I put my base class first in the list of base classes or last? If I understand how inheritance works, attributes are searched depth first, left to right. I believe this means that if I wanted to override some behavior of one of the other inherited classes, I would have to have my class first. What are the pros and cons of having my base class first or last? Finally, I've noticed that when a ZClass is defined, a predefined set of "views" are created for the object. For example, the "Contents" view might have "manage_main" and something else defined as available view methods. If methods are added to the ZClass, they show up in the list. If I wanted to define some new methods at the Python level, what do I need to do to have them show up in the view list? For example, suppose that I create a subclass of Folder and I want to have an alternative way to view the my folders contents. I can think of two ways to make this work. First, make sure that my base class is first in the inheritance list and then override the definition of something like "manage_main", substituting my DTML code for the standard DTML code. Alternatively, I could define a new method in my ZClass which has the DTML code I desire. What I'd like to know is how I could define a new method in my Python code and have it selectable as an available view. Thanks. James W. Howe mailto:jwh@allencreek.com Allen Creek Software, Inc. pgpkey: http://ic.net/~jwh/pgpkey.html Ann Arbor, MI 48103

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usergroup Netherlands
by Gijs Reulen 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

Hello On the Zope site is a reference to usergroups (http://www.zope.org/Resources/UserGroups) and one of them is supposed to be in my own country: 'Zope in the low countries' but that link leads nowhere special. Can anybody tell me if the usergroup is still alive ? Gijs Reulen

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Photo and ZPhotoAlbum 0.4.3 beta
by Andrew Lahser 05 Feb '00

05 Feb '00

With respect to the Zope Photo product, thank all of you for your suggestions and bug reports. All of your suggestions, including customizable default displays, are now part of the Photo and ZPhotoAlbum product. You can find the latest beta version at http://www.zope.org/Member/Drew/Photo. Also, I now have ZPhotoAlbum working on a production site. http://www.jpdesserts.com. As always, I welcome your further suggestions. Just before this last release, I did some experimentation with PIL vs. other open source image manipulation tools. PIL seems to have two negative effects when resizing. First, moire artifacts are subtle, but apparent. Second, the scan that PIL does introduces some blur, as do all scaling tools, but PIL does a lackluster job of applying a sharpening filter after a resize. The net effect is that images resized by the Photo product are not nearly as good as those done by Imagemagick. Additionally, Imagemagick has several features that would be nice to include with Photo, but would not be available with PIL. Foremost is support for FlashPix, which several of you have requested. The downside is that Imagemagick is slower. Interfacing with Imagemagick would be done through the command line, so the PIL libraries would not be needed by Photo, but the Imagemagick "convert" program would have to be available in the path of the user that runs Zope. The swig and native python interfaces to Imagemagick are a bit immature, and we really only need image manipulation during upload, so the command line interface won't have too much downside. Moreover, I think Photo would be easier to install, because the broken product syndrome that comes with installing PIL would not occur. That is a good summary of the issues. Before converting Photo over to Imagemagick, I want to get your input. I see much more positive than negative, but I want to be sure that I have the whole picture. The upside of all of this is that I now know more about online digital imagery than I ever wanted to know. I want to put the ZPhotoAlbum product behind me, but I also want the highest quality for my websites. Your opinion really matters, so please take a minute and send me your impressions. Thanks for your support. "Drew" andrew(a)apl-software.com

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