[Zope3-dev] separation of view hierarchy

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Wed, 11 Dec 2002 09:50:18 -0500


> > Perhaps being an experienced Python developer is a negative asset
> > for becoming a views developer?  I find views hard to get into --
> > do you think that people with less experience will find them
> > easier?
> 
> What makes them hard for you to get into? I'd like to know.

I've been thinking about this, and I'm not sure.  I find it hard to
navigate existing code that creates views, which I was trying to use
as examples.  One problem is that the information that shows how it
all fits together are spread over three different file types (in the
general case): there's a .py file providing view-specific logic, a
.pt file providing the page template that invokes the view-specific
logic (and sometimes also non-view-specific logic) and the .zcml that
ties it all together.  Then there additional layers of indirection:
multiple zcml files (one for the content object, and one for browser
views), ZPT macros, generic views (e.g. the "Add" view logic is in a
shared place) and you get the picture.

I suppose I could try to follow the examples in Jim's tutorial, but
that's a tutorial, not a reference manual, and whenever I need
something that's not (yet) covered by the tutorial, I'm reduced to
trying to understand how it works from looking at how it is used
elsewhere.

> I don't think being an experienced Python developer is a negative asset;

I was being facetious there. :-)

> the goal is just to include those who aren't experienced Python
> developers in the process, as these may still be experienced HTML +
> CSS (or ZPT) developers, and experienced user interface
> engineers. Views would likely still be developed in part (the python
> intensive parts) by python developers anyway.  Regards, Martijn

I'm looking forward to the new documentation.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)