[Zope-dev] Proposed installation changes for review

[Chris McDonough]

On Thu, 2003-03-13 at 16:14, Dieter Maurer wrote:
>  > ZConfig does allow you to declare and use simple bash-style variables
>  > within a single file,
> 
> When the configuration is composed out of components (e.g. for
> packages), then some global declarations might be very
> useful. I.e. a features as the global parameters in XSLT.
> This would allow to have a single place to change all dependent
> components (locations are most likely candidates for this feature).

OK, I'll add this to the list of desired features as well, thanks.

>  > but currently provides no access to the
>  > environment.  I suspect we could add something to obtain an envvar value
>  > within ZConfig.
>  > 
>  > E.g.:
>  > 
>  > %define HOSTNAME ${HOSTNAME}
>  > 
>  > .. then refer to $HOSTNAME in the rest of the config file...
>  > 
>  > (squiggly brackets would mean obtain from environment).
>  > 
>  > Do you think this would suffice?
> 
> For us, it would.
> 
> But the syntax could be a bit more explicit,
> maybe ${env HOSTNAME} (a la "make", where the first word
> in "${...}" may be a function).

We'll try out a couple different spellings I think.  Currently we
support both $NAME and ${NAME} (I fought hard against the former and
lost), so we'll need to be creative.

> I never read "ENVIRONMENT.txt"; for elementary use, I need
> neither read "z2.py" nor do anything with "start".
> 
> These things may come later, when newbies are already a bit
> acquainted with Zope.

OK.  I think the config file is a bit more approachable for newbies,
especially non-developer newbies who really don't care all that much
about Zope and just want to get it set up for people who are
developers.  But to each his own.

- C