[Zope-dev] Prototyped folders?

[Steve Alexander]

Hi Hamish,

I've answered your message in Zope-Dev, as this seems to be more of a
developers' question.

Hamish wrote:
> If a folder doesn't itself contain a required object or method, I'd
> like to have another folder looked in instead. The fall-back folder
> won't necessarily (and often can't) be higher in the hierarchy, so
> acquisition doesn't seem to be a solution. 

This looks like a job for a Python class that uses the new Traversal
interface.

  http://www.zope.org/Members/michel/Projects/Interfaces/Traversal

Your requirements sound very much like those for Shane Hathaway's
Transparent Folders product, except that instead of briefly diverting
acquisition into the transparent folder, you want to briefly divert
acquisition into some other arbitrary folder.

Last I heard, Shane was going to revitalize Transparent Folders when the
various interfaces it uses are finalized for Zope 2.2.

I suggest that after Shane has re-released his product, you make a
product based on Transparent Folders that works in this slightly
different way. Or, if it is appropriate, consider your changes an
enhancement to Transparent Folders, and offer it as a patch.

If you don't have sufficient python-hacking-zope-hacking-Zen to do it
yourself, I think I might have a go (and hopefully learn some Zope
internals Zen in the process).

Transparent Folders were here:

  http://www.zope.org/Members/hathawsh/

 - but the link to them is broken -- I guess because the product was
withdrawn as there was a problem with it under Zope 2.1.6.

--
Steve Alexander
Software Engineer
Cat-Box limited
http://www.cat-box.net