[Zope] Deprecation of <dtml-var "">?

[Kevin Dangoor]

    I've noticed that just about every new Zope user gets bitten by
<dtml-var foo> == <dtml-var name="foo"> and <dtml-var "foo"> == <dtml-var
expr="foo">. Messages reflecting this confusion come to the Zope list
frequently.

    Everyone appreciates the shorthand, and everyone does eventually learn
the difference between <dtml-var foo> and <dtml-var "foo">. Perhaps it would
be better to use <dtml-var name="foo"> and <dtml-var expr="foo"> more often
on the list for the sake of newcomers? Or perhaps there should be a whole
(but short) chapter in the DTML that is nothing but boldface "<dtml-var
"foo"> is actually running a python expression".

    Or, how about a <dtml-expr> tag (which could even start out as a simple
synonym for <dtml-var>) so that people won't be confused about what is
python and what is a variable lookup with the special calling properties.

    I think DTML is quite nice and works very well, but I see a lot of
people get caught on this, and almost anything that can be done to remove
the barriers of entry to Zope is a good thing.

Kevin
http://www.byproducts.com - Humor and Novelties