[Zope] New to Zope

[J. Cameron Cooper]

> I'm comfortable working with Python, but the jump to Zope seems to 
> have left me twiddling my thumbs. Simple things, like why I can't use 
> certain modules in "Script (Python)"s,

Security. If you can import any old module, a low-priveledged user could 
break your site up and down thorugh the web, starting with eating all 
your resources and getting worse from there.

Read doc/SECURITY.txt (and the rest of those files while you're at it.)

> how can I use Python to read the contents of another object, etc.

In a Python script, External Method, or any Python statement, you just 
get a handle to the object (how you do this varies, but is usually 
either acquisition or API based) and use methods from its API to talk to 
it: the online-help Zope docs outline most of these, you can use 
DocFinder or DocFinderEverywhere, or the source, which is still the 
definitive guide.

> I had jumped into Zope thinking that my knowledge of Python made it a 
> good choice for me to develop web applications in Python with, but it 
> seems I'm up for learning at least a handful of new 
> technologies/acronyms (DTML, Zope API, and TAL/TALES/METAL).
>
> I looked through the zope mailling list archive page and it seems as 
> though the numbers are slowly spiraling downward.  I was surprised 
> when I signed up for the list yesterday that there wasn't more traffic 
> than there is.  Are there other mailing lists or forums anyone would 
> recommend for me to be a part of, something that'll let me ask all the 
> stupid new guy questions?

This is pretty much the right place for that. Yesterday was surprisingly 
light: I attribute it to a US holiday. I actually prefer the current 
volumes to the crazy 100+ messages a day of not-too-long-ago. There are 
a number of factors, I think:

new lists (language-specific, plone, product-specific lists, more 
zope.org lists)
new sources of information (searchable archives, Zope books, user groups)
new supplementary websites (zopelabs, zopezen, et al.)
almost no large threads anymore

This list isn't the only source of information anymore, and it's very 
efficient.

             --jcc

-- 
"My point and period will be throughly wrought,
Or well or ill, as this day's battle's fought."