[Zope3-Users] Intended scope of viewlets?

[Alec Munro]

Hi List,

I'm just getting up to speed with viewlets, having read a thread here
and there in the past about them. I've installed the examples provided
on this list, and while I believe I understand how they work, I don't
understand in what circumstances they are most useful. The viewlets in
the examples are all very small, such as retrieving an formatting a
single piece of information about an object. However, from some of the
posts to this list, I get the impression they are also being used for
more complex items, like navigation menus.
Is there a recommended scope? Can they be described in a way such as
"develop your templates up to point X, then use a viewlet for
development of further depth?".

In my case, I am developing a new skin for a project, and my
experience with metal says to make the entire HTML page a macro with
slots for content and navigation. Is there a comparable viewlet-based
paradigm?

Also, am I correct in stating that when working with viewlets, the
only complete HTML page will be the primary skin file, with all
viewlets based on snippets of HTML?

My questions are fairly broad-ranging, I know, but I have thus far
been unable to find a straightforward explanation of viewlets, in
terms of how they relate to general site development.

Thanks,

Alec