Experimental version: http://www.pault.com/zope_beans.html Genbean.py v 0.1 Tested with Zope 2.3.0 The big picture is described in the paper "Zope: How To Win Big". http://www.pault.com/zope.html What is Zope Bean? Zope Bean is a simplified plug & play product for Zope. Zope Bean encapsulates a set of properties and methods. Zope Bean has one creation screen, one configuration screen and one information screen. Zope Bean is not Zope Component. Zope Component is experimental new feature in Zope. I have not seen it implemented yet. However, from the paper: "Components need not be persistent, nor provide a management interface." Zope Beans are persistent and they provide a management interface. Zope Bean is not exactly Zope Product. Zope Products are hard to create and hard to maintain. If you're Python/Zope pro who is used to write complex Zope Products, the chances are that you may have no need in Zope Beans - you're already a magician. However, Zope Beans enforce loose coupling design (something to think about). The biggest difference between Zope Bean and Zope Product is that Zope Bean is extremely easy to create and to maintain even you have no experience with Zope Products at all. If you know a bit of Python - you can write and use Zope Beans. Next version of Zope Beans may provide more functionality (like complex types of properties, one-bean-cooperating-with-other-bean, Global Bean Distribution Network, e t.c.) The purpose of this version is to show that writing plug & play Zope Products could be significantly easier than it is now. Comments welcome. Rgds.Paul.