[Zope-CMF] REQ: Make detecting Folder-like objects explicit.

[Ulrich Eck]

While surfing through the sources of CMF i found the following part in the portal_actions tool:

Line 165 ActionsTool.py:

    def listFilteredActionsFor(self, object=None):
        '''Gets all actions available to the user and returns a mapping
        containing user actions, object actions, and global actions.
        '''
        portal = aq_parent(aq_inner(self))
        if object is None or not hasattr(object, 'aq_base'):
            folder = portal
        else:
            folder = object
            # Search up the containment hierarchy until we find an
            # object that claims it's a folder.
            while folder is not None:
                if getattr(aq_base(folder), 'isPrincipiaFolderish', 0):
                    # found it.
                    break
                else:
                    folder = aq_parent(aq_inner(folder))

        info = ActionInformation(self, folder, object)

This part basically defines if the "folder_contents" action will be displayed in
the actions-box.

wouldn't it be better to provide a function e.g. isFolderish() for every portal object
instead of directly accessing the <obj>.isPrincipiaFolderish attribute ??
(like getId, manage_options() ...)

I see these applications that might need such a thing:

 - I'm working on CMFApplications, that behave like content-objects and allow
   small Applications like an LDAP-based Addressbook, MailClient etc.
   that need to be folderish (e.g. if they are based on a Specialist) otherwise the 
   management-interface won't let the user browse the tree for Racks for example.
   but they should show up like a Document in folder_contents.

 - Recently I saw a Proposal of CompoundDocuments, that need to be folderish, but
   should they show up as a folder if Reviewers/Users browses the folder_contents

What do other CMF-Product Developers think on this issue ??

thanks for your replies

Ulrich Eck
net-labs