[Zope-CMF] info about Zope action objects!

[Phil Glaser]

Hi Alan,

> > But I'm having trouble seeing how this works in real life. In the types
> > tool, if I click the "Event" type, and then go the Actions tab,
> I find the
> > following three actioins defined: event_view, event_edit_form, and
> > metadata_edit_form. I would have thought, given all that we've
> said, that
> > these three actions would show up in the list of actions I find in the
> > portal_actions tool. But they do not!

> ah! but then there are 'object' actions which are gotten from the
> portal_types.
> in Plone for instance we use 'object/folder' actions (dictated by
> category)
> to
> display in the 'contentTabs' (green tabs) portion of a page.  each type
> inside
> portal_type itself has actions.  these actions usually represent 'views'..

So, from a ZMI perpsective, the Actions tab that is displayed for a specific
type in the portal_types tool are a _different_ set of actions that those
which would be defined using the "Actions" tab that is accessible when you
view the portal_types tool itself (where the types are listed), It is the
_latter_ that show up in portal_actions. I'm still not clear on why there
are two different categories of actions, and what they do, but . . .

> * I highly suggest reading Portal.py and CustomizationPolicy.py
> in CMFPlone
> (from CVS or from alpha2) as
>    this is the only thing I know of that really does acrobats with the CMF
> machinery.  Maybe you can make
>    some more understanding by looking at it, installing Plone, viewing it
> and Indiana Jones'ing it.
> I would like to take the opportunity to plead with everyone to purchase a
> Learning Python/Essential Reference and have your python
> interpreters ready.

You've confirmed what I already suspected -- I'm not sure I've even reached
the elbow of the learning curve yet, and the only way through it is through
the source code. A resource I would add is the _Zope Bible_. It's the only
book I know of that shows you the inner machinery of products by building
one from the ground up. I'm going through it with the hopes of having an
easier time undersanding the source code. I'm also finding that reading
through the main_template and header templates is instructive.

Ulimately, it seems to me that the true meaning of what you see in ZMI can
only be grasped when you understand at the source code level what each of
the action providers is doing. So I know what I'll be reading this weekend.

So, yes, this is all very helpful and I am grateful for your help. Many many
thanks!!!

Regards,

Phil