I've noticed that just about every new Zope user gets bitten by <dtml-var foo> == <dtml-var name="foo"> and <dtml-var "foo"> == <dtml-var expr="foo">. Messages reflecting this confusion come to the Zope list frequently. Everyone appreciates the shorthand, and everyone does eventually learn the difference between <dtml-var foo> and <dtml-var "foo">. Perhaps it would be better to use <dtml-var name="foo"> and <dtml-var expr="foo"> more often on the list for the sake of newcomers? Or perhaps there should be a whole (but short) chapter in the DTML that is nothing but boldface "<dtml-var "foo"> is actually running a python expression". Or, how about a <dtml-expr> tag (which could even start out as a simple synonym for <dtml-var>) so that people won't be confused about what is python and what is a variable lookup with the special calling properties. I think DTML is quite nice and works very well, but I see a lot of people get caught on this, and almost anything that can be done to remove the barriers of entry to Zope is a good thing. Kevin http://www.byproducts.com - Humor and Novelties
Kevin Dangoor wrote:
Or, how about a <dtml-expr> tag (which could even start out as a simple synonym for <dtml-var>) so that people won't be confused about what is python and what is a variable lookup with the special calling properties.
This is a great idea :-) New------------ Old------------------------------- <dtml-var x> <dtml-var x> <dtml-var name="x"> <dtml-expr "x"> <dtml-var expr="x"> <dtml-var "x"> cheers, Chris PS: didn't Paul Everitt comment on this in the Perl thread?
Suggestion: lobby Brian Lloyd about this. As Chris mentioned, reducing the "coefficient of complexity" is something he and I are focused on. Shorthand notations are convenient, but when they get inconsistent, you wind up with the other P language. :^) --Paul Chris Withers wrote:
Kevin Dangoor wrote:
Or, how about a <dtml-expr> tag (which could even start out as a simple synonym for <dtml-var>) so that people won't be confused about what is python and what is a variable lookup with the special calling properties.
This is a great idea :-)
New------------ Old------------------------------- <dtml-var x> <dtml-var x> <dtml-var name="x"> <dtml-expr "x"> <dtml-var expr="x"> <dtml-var "x">
cheers,
Chris
PS: didn't Paul Everitt comment on this in the Perl thread?
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I sent Brian a message on this, and I just added it to the collector with the 1 line patch necessary to add <dtml-expr> as a synonym for <dtml-var>: http://classic.zope.org:8080/Collector/1279/view Kevin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Everitt" <paul@digicool.com> To: "Chris Withers" <chrisw@nipltd.com> Cc: "Kevin Dangoor" <kid@kendermedia.com>; <zope@zope.org> Sent: Monday, May 29, 2000 10:04 AM Subject: Re: [Zope] Deprecation of <dtml-var "">?
Suggestion: lobby Brian Lloyd about this. As Chris mentioned, reducing the "coefficient of complexity" is something he and I are focused on.
Shorthand notations are convenient, but when they get inconsistent, you wind up with the other P language. :^)
--Paul
Chris Withers wrote:
Kevin Dangoor wrote:
Or, how about a <dtml-expr> tag (which could even start out as a
simple
synonym for <dtml-var>) so that people won't be confused about what is python and what is a variable lookup with the special calling properties.
This is a great idea :-)
New------------ Old------------------------------- <dtml-var x> <dtml-var x> <dtml-var name="x"> <dtml-expr "x"> <dtml-var expr="x"> <dtml-var "x">
cheers,
Chris
PS: didn't Paul Everitt comment on this in the Perl thread?
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participants (4)
-
Bill Anderson -
Chris Withers -
Kevin Dangoor -
Paul Everitt