[Zope] Hiding HTML URL

[David H]

Jens Vagelpohl wrote:

>
> On May 10, 2005, at 00:48, J Cameron Cooper wrote:
>
>> But please note, this is very hostile web design. I would suggest  
>> you re-think your need for such a "feature".
>
>
> "Hostile" is an excellent word for that kind of behavior. It  
> certainly breaks quite a few rules in the "user friendliness" book.
>
> So what exactly is the goal for following such a user-defeating  
> technique?
>
> jens
>
>
If I might disagree, keeping a stable URL is not, by itself,  
"user-defeating".  For example, user's do not like browser history 
clutter with subfolders and objects - all from the same application. 

Also, we do not want a user to open browser history and click 
www.myApp.com/updateChartOfAccounts.  Because that would be "out of 
context".  Sure you can respond with an error message.  But why should 
they see it in the first place?

With a stable URL they just click www.myApp.com and they get the main 
page - every time.

The question remains - is there an elegant solution to this.

I think there is.  Maybe 3 years ago Jim Penny wrote a message (I wish I 
could find it now!) regarding a web technique which I believe he 
referred to as the "stateless machine". 

I liked the idea and have used it ever since.

The idea is to use index_html as a request dispatcher.  index_html 
simply responds to page requests and pulls in zpt macros, dtml and 
python code displaying to screen. An example:

index_html
request = context.REQUEST
if request[caller] == 'Budgeting':
  if request[action_type] == 'Process':
     context.SQL.updateBudget()
     context.ZPT.showUpdatePage(context,request)

and the caller looks like ...
Zpt module Budgeting
..
<form name="budgeting" action="index_html">
<input type="hidden"  name="caller" value="Budgeting">
<input type="hidden"  name="action_type" value="" >  <---- see with 
javascript
<input type "button" name="process" value=" Process " onclick="Process()">

etc

I believe that this technique is not only useful in the "stable" URL 
way, but it is very useful for larger applications - index_html becomes 
the "engine" driving the whole application. This centralizes a big chunk 
of application logic in one place.

David