[Zope] newbe wonderings

[Martijn Faassen]

> Mica Fine wrote:
> 
> Will it be nessary for me to know Python to fully implament Zope?

I'm not entirely sure what 'fully implement Zope' means. You can
definitely work with Zope without knowing Python, I've seen several
people do it here. You can set up fairly dynamic sites without picking
up more than a bit of Python.

However, if you want to do things like:

* tricky DTML 

For instance for some extra dynamicism, or if you're misusing DTML and
you should be using Python instead. :)

* writing external methods/Python methods

For instance to validate user input to some form on the server side
(this can be done with tricky DTML too). 

*  writing new Zope products (components)

For this you could use ZClasses and DTML, but this gets limited quickly;
Python knowledge in some way is very handy here too.

If you do want to pick up Python, I don't recommend starting to learn
within the Zope framework (unless you're not *using* the Zope framework
in any way). The Zope framework does some fairly 'magical' things
automatically that will probably confuse the newbie. I may be mistaken,
it'd be interested to hear from people who picked up Python by working
with Zope.

Python is easier to learn in isolation first. Go to www.python.org and
download an interpreter and experiment some with it first. Write small
scripts. Then come back to Zope and work with external methods or
PythonMethods (or complex DTML expressions, but they're not the best way
to learn Python either!). 

Anyway, you don't have to know Python, but I'd recommend it. If you
don't use it with Zope, it's bound to be useful in some other way. It's
a fairly easy language to learn, and it's easy and powerful to use.

Regards,

Martijn