De : "Jacopo Cappellato" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > First of all thanks to Adrian for his work on this area and for the passion. > I think it would greatly help if someone, maybe Adrian? :-), could post > a short message to the user list with a few small instructions for > transitioning external components to the new methods; something like this:
The point Tim raised is not much about how to do it (even if it's important) but the work it requires (I did not look but is it so difficult ? Some find/replace on all files can't do the job ? even scripted ?). About backward compatiblity, as Jonathon pointed out (I also refered how it's done in Java) : <<The old methods' implementation can be changed to point to and use the new methods. But the old method signatures and behaviors must remain for true backward compatibility.>> On the other hand, I understand Adrian POV (project sanity) since old methods might render false results when used by a client out of the server time zone. As long as they are documented/deprecated, there should not be major problems for new uses. For olde code, as Jonathon pointed out, warnings are most important. > "if, after an upgrade, you get an error like this [...] in your custom > component, then you can fix it in the following way: > bsh: modify the UtilDateTime.adjustTimestamp(timestamp) to > UtilDateTime.adjustTimestamp(timestamp, timeZone, locale) > > ftl: etc..." > > Then, we can remove/deprecate/comment/uncomment/revert that new small > method... I'll let the decision to you all: I had an opinion on this, > but I had it when it was still a small issue (no OFBiz standard > application was using it)... now that it is grown to an holy war I'll do > what I can to stay out of it :-) Not very courageous but wise :o). For my part, I will stop to discuss on that topic. Jacques > > Jacopo > > > > Adrian Crum wrote: > > I'm starting this thread in response to Jacques' suggestion that we discuss > > date/time calculations, the UtilDateTime class, and whether or not older methods in that class should be deprecated. > > > > Anyone wanting to follow along or participate in the discussion should > > start off by visiting these links: > > > > http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2003/06/05/java_calendar.html > > http://www.icu-project.org/docs/papers/international_calendars_in_java.html > > http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-i18n.html#N1019D > > > > Prior to the recent work done to bring user-selected time zones into the > > project, OFBiz pretty much ignored a user's time zone and locale and performed date/time calculations based upon the server's locale and time zone. This caused problems for international users - as the previous links point out. > > > > The source of the problem was the UtilDateTime class, and Vinay Agarwal was > > the first developer to address the issue - https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/OFBIZ-2. The UtilDateTime class was updated in June 2007 to support the use of locales and time zones in date/time calculations. Soon afterwards the framework was changed to accomodate a user-selected time zone - the user's java.util.TimeZone object is now available in the service context, the session, and in the screen rendering context. In addition, the user's last time zone selection is persisted. > > > > Once all of the infrastructure was in place to support a user-selected time > > zone, I worked on the Work Effort calendar to support the new capability. That work was committed to the project in August 2007. It's important for this discussion that the international community visit this link: > > > > https://demo.hotwaxmedia.com/workeffort/control/month > > > > and spend some time experimenting with various time zones and locales. This > > is important because the server is located in the central US, and yet the calendar always presents date/time data according to the user's locale and time zone selections. The Work Effort calendar is a perfect demonstration of the concepts presented by IBM and the java community. The success of this effort was due to using only the newer methods in UtilDateTime, and eliminating all calls to the older methods. > > > > With a successful working example of the new UtilDateTime methods, the > > question comes up: Should we keep the older methods that ignore the user's time zone and locale? My answer is No. As long as those methods remain in the class, lazy developers will try to use them. A perfect example is the commit in rev 586582 and the storm of controversy that erupted from it. > > > > I submitted a patch to deprecate the UtilDateTime methods that ignore the > > user's locale and time zone - https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/OFBIZ-1361. That patch is being challenged based upon the notion that the older methods will always be useful. I don't agree with that view. Here's why: > > > > Now that we have the capability to better internationalize OFBiz, we should > > make efforts to do so. All of OFBiz should make use of the new UtilDateTime methods so that the user is presented with consistent date/time data. There will be places in OFBiz that will have exceptions - places where the server's locale and time zone are preferred. Let's use the Webtools component for an example. If Webtools is intended to display date/time data in the server's time zone and locale, then that component can construct its own TimeZone and Locale objects to be passed to the new methods. The bottom line is, if the older methods didn't exist, there would still be ways to achieve the same results. > > > > It has been suggested that, instead of deprecating the older methods, they > > should have JavaDoc comments pointing out that they shouldn't be used. Well, if they shouldn't be used, then why keep them? > > > > To summarize: Deprecating the methods provides an incentive for developers > > to stop using them. Backwards compatibility can be achieved by supplying some form of default objects to the new methods. > > > >>From my perspective, any argument in support of keeping the older methods > >>is an argument against internationalization. > > > > -Adrian > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > > http://mail.yahoo.com >
