XML export/import is cool! (Was Re: [Zope-dev] Deprecating XML export/import?)

[Jim Fulton]

Andreas Jung wrote:
> Zope supports the export of content either through Python pickles 
> (.zexp) or as XML. Unfortunatly the XML export/import has several problems:
> 
> - the generated XML is pretty much too low-level to use it e.g.
>   for migration issues

I have been working on a Zope 2 project lately and have found
XML export to be extremely usable.  Templates and other
large strings are enclosed in CDATA sections, which make them
surprisingly readable.

We've had sucess writing XSLT templates to transform the pickle data
into formats easily parsable for particular applications.

> - it was broken multiple times in the past, it still has problems

How so?

> - it has no maintainer, nobody wants to touch it without gloves

Is that any more true than for lots of other things?

> I propose to deprecate XML export/import for Zope 2.10 and to remove it 
> in Zope 2.12. We don't loose any functionality since .zexp is working 
> fine. I don't know of any active projects/code that really uses XML 
> export/import.
> 
> Comments?

-1

As I said above, I've been finding it surprisingly useful lately.

When I first wrote it, I viewed it as someowhat of an academic
exercise, but I've come to realize that it is far more useful than
I originally thought.  This is more so now that XSLT is widely used
and quite capable of transforming the pickles into useful forms.

Note that, IMO, there isn't likely to be a more generally useful
form because usefullness is generally determined by a particular
application.  XSLT + XML pickles together provide a general mechanism
that can adapt to particular application needs.

I think the XML export is a facility that is and should be advertized
as a legitimate escape hatch for data kept in Zope.  People really
shouldn't feel afraid of putting data in Zope/ZODB as there
really is a useful way to get it out.

Jim

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