[Zope-dev] Re: SiteRoot and VHM

[Laurence Rowe]

Paul Winkler wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 07, 2005 at 12:55:09PM +0100, Laurence Rowe wrote:
> 
>>-1 for removing it. I think it's a cool feature :-)
>>
>>I like the ability to use a 'blank' SiteRoot (one with a blank base and 
>>path) in conjunction with an access rule to set request variables when I 
>>access my site in through a particular point (eg set the plone_skin 
>>variable when I access my site through /admin or force a particular 
>>language when I access my site through /language-name). This is in 
>>addition to using VHM and apache rewrite rules in the standard way.
> 
> 
> I'm curious, what does the SiteRoot buy you over just doing all that in 
> an access rule?
>  

Having just read up on  REQUEST.setServerURL(SiteRootBASE) and 
REQUEST.setVirtualRoot(SiteRootPATH). I was about to say "nothing at all 
- I'm just being ignorant", but it looks like the answer is actually 
'flexibility'.

 From http://www.zope.org/Members/4am/SiteAccess2/vhosting

"""
If a SiteRooted folder is ever accessed through URLs with a base or path 
that does not get rewritten to match the Base and Path of the SiteRoot, 
you should make the SiteRoot's Base and Path blank and dynamically 
create SiteRootPATH/SiteRootBASE variables. For example, if you made a 
'Zope' global-access prefix as described above, then the 'else' part 
should contain something like <dtml-call "REQUEST.set('SiteRootPATH', 
'/')">.
"""

Without the blank site root you lose the flexibility of these methods 
working when the site is not being virtual hosted, which is quite handy 
while developing.

Laurence