[Zope] ZPT/DTML Myths

[Chris Withers]

Andy McKay wrote:
 > It is in Zope 3. It is still being used in none compliant situations such as
 > SQL statements, css, javascript.

Johan Carlsson [Torped] wrote:
> TAL doesn't replace  DTML, for instance is TAL not well suited for
> non-tagged markup (such as mail messages and ZSQL Methods).

These are more myths. ZPT is just as capable of generating SQL, css and 
javascript as DTML is. Want examples? Search the mailing list archives where I 
posted them ;-)

Personally, I feel Zope Corp are making a mistake in Zope 3 by including both
ZPT and DTML. One or other but not both because now you have to learn at least 3
languages (Python, ZCML, DTML) to use Zope 3, whereas you used to only need two 
(DTML, python)

> At the moment it also seems like DTML has an performance advantage over 
> TAL.

This is a problem that needs fixing.

> DTML use the right way can separate presentation and logic equally 
> efficient
> as TAL,

No it can't. DTML lacks explicitness of namespaces.

> DTML still doesn't solve being cross-platform in HTML-editing 
> environments, but
> as some environments can support DTML (for instance Dreamweaver) this is
> not always a necessary.

I bet the number of editors that support XHTML slightly outweighs the number 
that support DTML ;-)

> Personally I think TAL is a brilliant idea, but DTML is still easier to 
> use and
> faster to learn than TAL. 

That is a mistaken belief. DTML can appear to be easier to use at first, because 
it does a lot of things implicitly. BUT, when (not if), that implicitness comes 
back to bite you on the ass, you'll find it a lot more difficult to figure out 
what's going on that if you'd taken the trouble to be explicit in the first place.

cheers,

Chris