[Zope-dev] Re: [Zope] Can't add "date" property to new ZClass

[Michel Pelletier]

(I moved this thread to zope-dev)

Toby Dickenson wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 11 Oct 1999 15:06:50 -0700, you wrote:
> 
> >I'm creating a brand new ZClass (called "PDFClass"). It's my first ZClass.
> >I've just added the Common Instance Property Sheet (called "PDFProperties").
> >Now I'm trying to add properties to that property sheet. I added one
> >"string" property OK, but now when I add the "date" property "pub_date", I
> >get this error:
> >
> >          Invalid Date-Time String
> 
> Are you planning to extract properties from PDF files? That's a task
> on my to-do list too.
 
Let's start a discussion on this before any code gets written, I've been
thinking alot about document formats lately.

I'm working on a model and elaboration of what I call MFI, Multi-Format
Interface, which will be a component of the Portal Toolkit and possible
a future core feature of Zope. Basicly, this consolidates all of the
document types, DTML, XML, PDF, what-have you, into a subclassable
interface that allows you to define pluggable format types.  This way,
indestead of making a whole new type of object (PDFDocument, whatever)
you make a new plug-in format for MFI that all Documents can then select
as their format type.  This is much more flexible, extendable, and
'philosophically' correct than the current method.  As an example, an
HTML formatter could be made (that extracts meta-information from a
document and perhaps builds a DOM tree if it's parsable well enough), a
PDF formatter (can DOM be put on PDF?)  a structured text (stx)
formatter (we are elaborating a DOM interface for Stx).  The
possiblities are endless, and it means that all of these document types
in the add list can be reduced to one selection.

This is a pretty light description, but there are many other benefits
I'm formalizing into a document right now.  What are you thoughts?

-Michel