[Zope] Re: converting string to dict ?

[Duncan Booth]

> My conclusion thus far is that I should stick with External Python
> Methods and be happy. But I have this peverse curiosity to make it
> work in Python Script also. The Docs say that eval() is not allowed in
> Scipts(Python). Is this the trouble I am having?

I am somewhat confused as to exactly the effect you are trying to achieve, but 
here are a few suggestions.

When you retrieve a URL in Zope the query string is automatically converted 
into a dictionary acessible as REQUEST.form, or in the case of a PythonScript 
as context.REQUEST.form. If you want to pass an arbitrary dictionary to your 
script through a URL then the best way is usually just to imitate a form that had 
the dictionary elements as fields.
To pass a dictionary from DTML you can build the dictionary and pass it in 
directly, not as a string but as a dictionary, or you can use keyword arguments.

For example if you define a PythonScript like this:
## Script (Python) "ShowDict"
##bind container=container
##bind context=context
##bind namespace=
##bind script=script
##bind subpath=traverse_subpath
##parameters=**dict
##title=
##
from Products.PythonScripts.standard import html_quote
dict = dict or context.REQUEST.form
return html_quote(`dict`)

Then you can retrieve 
http://yourhost/ShowDict?message=Do+you+understand+now%3f&name=Zope
+Lover&status=done 

or from inside DTML you can do <dtml-var ShowDict> if you want all of the 
request arguments passed through, and

   <dtml-var expr="ShowDict(message='Do you understand now?',
           name='zope Lover', status='done')">

to pass the arguments explicitly. Once inside ShowDict the effect is the same.

For dictionary elements other than strings you can use type modifiers on the 
field names. e.g. http://yourhost/ShowDict?x:int=5

Does this help any?

-- 
Duncan Booth                                             duncan@rcp.co.uk