-----Original Message----- From: Michel Pelletier [mailto:michel@digicool.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 00:24 To: 'Jay, Dylan'; 'zope@zope.org' Subject: RE: [Zope] using ZCatalog to search multiple data containers

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Something that has been bothering me with this whole ZCatalog thing is how do I search things other than the Zope ODB. More

importantly how do I

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combine a search that works with the ZCatalog with things from databases. Lets say I have a database driven FAQ. How do I put a single search field on a site that finds normal DTML documents as well as parts of the FAQ?

This can be done, but it hasn't been done, so the kinks have not been worked out. Basicly, anything in Zope that can be mapped to a URL can be cataloged, so if your ZSQL queries map to URLs then they can be used.

You would probably find using plugable brains handy here, as the brain you write can use the CatalogAware class to make your brains catalog themselves.

Even better, in Zope 2.1, you will be able to select a ZClass for a plugable brain for both ZSQL methods and Catalogs.

This would make a great howto, if you whip up an example. If not, I might have some time in the future to work on it, if i get some resources allocated to it.

Ok, I sort of see what your getting at but what if you have content that can't be mapped using a url. Like a tradittional form input that results in a sql database search and a result list. Lets say a bug tracking system. And I want a combined way to search for anything in my web pages or a bug that matches the criteria. I imagine it would be stupid to get the ZCatalog to index the sql database when it is already indexed, so I imagine what I'm after is a way of a) Producing a result set from an sql query that is compatible with the ZCatalog result set. b) Combining two or more result sets in a way that makes sense. ie some way of objective way of scoring results. It would seem to me that a framework for this sort of thing is something lots of people would want. Dylan.