[Zope] Database query -> HTML table

14 Apr 2000

      I'm trying to find a generic way to turn a database query into an
HTML table the way the ZSQL Method's "test" routine does.

I can do this with a literal list calling a Python method:
Python method: table
Parameter list:
	headers, data, 
	table='<TABLE BORDER>', ntable='</TABLE>', tr='<TR>', ntr='</TR>', 
	td='<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">', ntd='</TD>', 
	th='<TH ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top">', nth='</TH>'
Code:
	"""
	in : headers, list of strings, the column titles.
	   : data, list of tuples, each row of data.
	   : table, ntable, tr, ntr, td, ntd, th, nth,
	       strings, how to render these HTML tags.
	"""
	headers_len = len(headers)
	data_len = len(data)
	if data_len == 0:
		return "<!-- No data for table -->"
	if data_len > headers_len:
		# Why doesn't Zope have a list() function?
		headers = headers[:] # Make a copy.
		ext = [ " " ] * (data_len - headers_len)
		headers.extend(ext)
	ret = [table, tr]
	for h in headers:
		ret.extend([th, h, nth])
	ret.append(ntr)
	for row in data:
		ret.append(tr)
		for d in row:
			ret.extend([td, d, ntd])
		ret.append(ntr)
	ret.append(ntable)
	return _.string.join(ret, '\n')

I can then call it with a literal list:
<dtml-var expr="table(['header1', 'header2'], [('value 1a', 'value 1b'), 
	('value2a', 'value2b')])">

What I want is a Python method that constructs the header and value
lists and calls table(header, value).  So that my documents can have a nice,
clean: 
<dtml-var expr="sql_table( my_zsql_method(arg1, arg2, ...) )">

Where can I find some documentation on using a ZQSL Method object in
Python?

Or is there a way to access the table-creation code Zope uses in the 
"test" routine?

-- 
-Mike Orr, mso@mso.oz.net  -or-  mso@oz.net  (permanent: mso@jimpick.com)
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