[Zope-CMF] Enforcing Metadata (was: WebDAV, ZPT & CMF)

[Tres Seaver]

seb bacon wrote:

> As Paul pointed out in the oss4lib interview (see link from the news
> section on the dogbowl), everyone uses Word but no-one knows
> File->Properties exists.  Yet the success of a CMF-based application
> depends completely on the entry of metadata, IMO.  There really must
> be some way of enforcing metadata.
> 
> Shane's suggestion of enforcing it at the workflow level makes sense.
> However, I don't think it would be appropriate in all
> circumstances.  The CMF I'm currently implementing is for a company
> knowledge-sharing portal, and all employees can see all uploaded
> content immediately.  Publishing content makes it available outside
> the organisation.  I'm concerned that having a two stage process will
> act as a barrier to people ever sharing content.  They'll
> save something to the system using webDAV, but then the onus will
> continue to be on them to mark up the content before anyone else can
> see it within the organisation.
> 
> Ideally I'd want webDAV to provide for interacting with a user to
> enforce properites, but I'm not aware that it does so.  Another idea
> might be that people save their articles in some kind of special word
> template, which uses some hideous configuration of VBA and modal
> dialogues to make the user update the document properties.
> 
> Can anyone think of any other solutions?

The "proposed portal_metadata tool",
  http://cmf.zope.org/rqmts/proposals/metadata_tool
allows a site manager to set some policies on required / default
metadata.  However, technology is *not* going to be able to "solve
the problem", here;  humans have to perceive the benefit to assigning
metadata, and then do it.  All the CMF can do is make it as
straightforward as possible for them to get it there.

Tres.
-- 
===============================================================
Tres Seaver                                tseaver@digicool.com
Digital Creations     "Zope Dealers"       http://www.zope.org