Re: [Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2

2000-09-01 Thread Steve Alexander

"Phillip J. Eby" wrote:
> 
> >I see that Folders w/ customizer support now have their own
> >Data-plug-ins tab (they didn't before), and that it does direct
> >delegation, rather than filtered forwarding.
> 
> Direct delegation?  I've lost you here.  If it's doing that, then
> something's broken.  

sorry -- I didn't really mean that.

> Check and see if you have any "Link to Parent Data
> Plug-ins" in your customizers (they're added by default now on new
> customizers).  You can filter the parent providers by selecting the ones
> you want to leave out on the "exclude" property.

That's what I meant. Great.

> >Does this mean that your suggestion above has become a design decision
> >for ZPatterns? Data plug-ins directly in Customizers and Specialists
> >aren't due to be deprecated? I'm guessing that this is the case.
> 
> Argh.  I knew there was something (else) I was forgetting to document in
> the CHANGES file.  I had better go fix that now.

I'll take that as a "yes" then. :-)

> >Also, it is a bit of a pain to refresh each of the DataManager instances
> >on each upgrade. How about an external method in ZPatterns to walk the
> >object tree and update instances as required? Perhaps it could use
> >ZopeFind. Or, seeing as Specialists and Customizer folders contain other
> >DataManagers, could you add a button to a tab in Specialists and
> >Customizer folders that refreshes them, and recursively all the
> >DataManagers they contain? Then I'd just have to go to each top-level
> >datamanager and refresh them when I upgrade.
> 
> It isn't actually be necessary to refresh on every upgrade.  IIRC, that
> note about refreshing is in reference to pre-0.4.x versions.  I guess I
> need to fix that too...

I had a bit of oddness with a Folder with Customizer Support on
upgrading from 0-4-1snap1 to 0-4-2a1. Until I added then removed a
datamanager, there was some attribute error occuring. Unfortunately, I
didn't look into it before I accidentally fixed it. I'll be upgrading
another zope instance with ZPatterns later on, so I'll watch out for the
same behaviour then.

> do you think you could
> perhaps be persuaded to write a short reference and/or tutorial for us to
> include (perhaps as a help screen from the SkinScript method object's
> management screens)?  Thanks.

I have a DataSkins how-to / short introduction that is about half
complete. I was hoping to get this out by today, but then I discovered
SkinScript, and also real work got in the way :-)

I'll try and get it finished this weekend. Perhaps some of that can be
reused as help in the management screens.

--
Steve Alexander
Software Engineer
Cat-Box limited
http://www.cat-box.net

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Re: [Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2

2000-09-01 Thread Phillip J. Eby

At 10:37 AM 9/1/00 +0100, Steve Alexander wrote:
>Steve Alexander wrote:
>
>> Phillip J. Eby wrote:
>>
>> > Now, I can provide *unfiltered* linkage by direct delegation, but this
>> > would mean dropping the ability to selectively take only certain
>> > attributes
>> > or sheets from the parent.  But I suppose that, compared to dropping the
>> > capability to acquire altogether, this might be preferable.
>> 
>> 
>> This sounds fine for my use of Triggers that apply across everything
>> that a Specialist manages.
>
>I've got ZPatterns 0.4.2a1 now.
>
>I see that Folders w/ customizer support now have their own 
>Data-plug-ins tab (they didn't before), and that it does direct 
>delegation, rather than filtered forwarding.

Direct delegation?  I've lost you here.  If it's doing that, then
something's broken.  Check and see if you have any "Link to Parent Data
Plug-ins" in your customizers (they're added by default now on new
customizers).  You can filter the parent providers by selecting the ones
you want to leave out on the "exclude" property.


>Does this mean that your suggestion above has become a design decision 
>for ZPatterns? Data plug-ins directly in Customizers and Specialists 
>aren't due to be deprecated? I'm guessing that this is the case.

Argh.  I knew there was something (else) I was forgetting to document in
the CHANGES file.  I had better go fix that now.


>Also, it is a bit of a pain to refresh each of the DataManager instances 
>on each upgrade. How about an external method in ZPatterns to walk the 
>object tree and update instances as required? Perhaps it could use 
>ZopeFind. Or, seeing as Specialists and Customizer folders contain other 
>DataManagers, could you add a button to a tab in Specialists and 
>Customizer folders that refreshes them, and recursively all the 
>DataManagers they contain? Then I'd just have to go to each top-level 
>datamanager and refresh them when I upgrade.

It isn't actually be necessary to refresh on every upgrade.  IIRC, that
note about refreshing is in reference to pre-0.4.x versions.  I guess I
need to fix that too...


>Oh also, FYI, we're using ZPatterns for a couple of medium sized 
>projects, one of which is functionally complete. SkinScript has proved 
>extremely useful. I've been able to evolve an application in a very 
>clean way using propertysheets and SkinScript, whereas before I'd have 
>had to retrofit a custom base class.
>
>Phillip and Ty, thanks for your sharing your work and sharing your ideas.

You're welcome.  Since you've obviously managed to figure out how to code
SkinScript just from my cryptic notes on the mailing list, and perhaps by
looking at the grammar embedded in the compiler, do you think you could
perhaps be persuaded to write a short reference and/or tutorial for us to
include (perhaps as a help screen from the SkinScript method object's
management screens)?  Thanks.


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Re: [Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2

2000-09-01 Thread Steve Alexander

Steve Alexander wrote:

> Phillip J. Eby wrote:
>
> > Now, I can provide *unfiltered* linkage by direct delegation, but this
> > would mean dropping the ability to selectively take only certain
> > attributes
> > or sheets from the parent.  But I suppose that, compared to dropping the
> > capability to acquire altogether, this might be preferable.
> 
> 
> This sounds fine for my use of Triggers that apply across everything
> that a Specialist manages.

I've got ZPatterns 0.4.2a1 now.

I see that Folders w/ customizer support now have their own 
Data-plug-ins tab (they didn't before), and that it does direct 
delegation, rather than filtered forwarding.

Does this mean that your suggestion above has become a design decision 
for ZPatterns? Data plug-ins directly in Customizers and Specialists 
aren't due to be deprecated? I'm guessing that this is the case.

Also, it is a bit of a pain to refresh each of the DataManager instances 
on each upgrade. How about an external method in ZPatterns to walk the 
object tree and update instances as required? Perhaps it could use 
ZopeFind. Or, seeing as Specialists and Customizer folders contain other 
DataManagers, could you add a button to a tab in Specialists and 
Customizer folders that refreshes them, and recursively all the 
DataManagers they contain? Then I'd just have to go to each top-level 
datamanager and refresh them when I upgrade.


Oh also, FYI, we're using ZPatterns for a couple of medium sized 
projects, one of which is functionally complete. SkinScript has proved 
extremely useful. I've been able to evolve an application in a very 
clean way using propertysheets and SkinScript, whereas before I'd have 
had to retrofit a custom base class.

Phillip and Ty, thanks for your sharing your work and sharing your ideas.

 
-- 
Steve Alexander
Software Engineer
Cat-Box limited
http://www.cat-box.net


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Re: [Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2,LoginManager 0.9.0

2000-08-27 Thread Steve Alexander

Phillip J. Eby wrote:

>
> Would it be an undue hardship to copy these into all the relevant racks or
> customizers, until there is a feature to allow inclusion from another rack
> or customizer?

Not at all. :-)


> Now, I can provide *unfiltered* linkage by direct delegation, but this
> would mean dropping the ability to selectively take only certain attributes
> or sheets from the parent.  But I suppose that, compared to dropping the
> capability to acquire altogether, this might be preferable.

This sounds fine for my use of Triggers that apply across everything 
that a Specialist manages.

--
Steve Alexander
Software Engineer
Cat-Box limited
http://www.cat-box.net


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Re: [Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2,LoginManager 0.9.0

2000-08-27 Thread Phillip J. Eby

At 11:04 AM 8/27/00 +0100, Steve Alexander wrote:
>
>I have been putting CatalogTriggers as DataManagers directly in
>Specialists.
>

And this *works*???  None of the "Acquired ... Provider" classes supported
forwarding to an acquired trigger, as far as I can recall.  The fact that
it's so bloody awkward to forward to acquired providers is part of why I
think they should be dropped.

Hmm...  looking at source code...  aha!  Okay, so "Link to Parent Data
Plug-ins" provides linking to triggers.  I'd forgotten about that,
obviously.  Dang.


>This seems to me the obvious place to do some triggering action that
>applies over all the Specialist's racks, but which has nothing to do
>with storage.

Yes, it is.  But it also adds to new user confusion, and leads to a bunch
of otherwise-unnecessary code complication.  In particular, Specialist
wouldn't need to be a DataManager when it's really only a PlugInContainer.


>I don't yet use SkinScript. However, I imagine there are a number of
>uses for Triggers that apply at the level of abstraction of a
>Specialist.

Would it be an undue hardship to copy these into all the relevant racks or
customizers, until there is a feature to allow inclusion from another rack
or customizer?


>Please think about keeping the feature, if it doesn't make things too
>complicated.

Basically, the problem is that I am trying to decouple delegation
interfaces from the ZPatterns core.  That is, I'm trying to make it such
that DataManagers don't have to know about all the possible things that can
be delegated to Data Plug-ins.  That way, as additional plug-in
capabilities are added, such as content providers and local role providers,
the DataManager class doesn't change, since it's just an intermediary for
*finding* those providers, and giving dataskins certain persistence-related
services.

Unfortunately, using items that link to acquired providers with any kind of
filtering means that the link itself must provide some form of the
interface which is being delegated, which means that the link must know
about all possible interfaces.  :(

Now, I can provide *unfiltered* linkage by direct delegation, but this
would mean dropping the ability to selectively take only certain attributes
or sheets from the parent.  But I suppose that, compared to dropping the
capability to acquire altogether, this might be preferable.

Hmmm.  Let me think about this.


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Re: [Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2,LoginManager 0.9.0

2000-08-27 Thread Steve Alexander


Phillip Eby wrote:
>
> * We would like to drop support for Specialists directly containing data
> plug-ins.  This feature was intended to allow for acquiring shared data
> plug-ins from within Racks, so that common attribute or sheet providers
> could be shared among Racks without copying.  In practice, Ty and I have
> never once used this capability, and it could be easily replaced with the
> ability to "include" a SkinScript within another SkinScript, if we take
> advantage of 2.2.x-isms.

I have been putting CatalogTriggers as DataManagers directly in
Specialists.

This seems to me the obvious place to do some triggering action that
applies over all the Specialist's racks, but which has nothing to do
with storage.

I don't yet use SkinScript. However, I imagine there are a number of
uses for Triggers that apply at the level of abstraction of a
Specialist.

Please think about keeping the feature, if it doesn't make things too
complicated.

--
Steve Alexander
Software Engineer
Cat-Box limited
http://www.cat-box.net

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[Zope-dev] Compatibility issues: ZPatterns 0.4.2,LoginManager 0.9.0

2000-08-26 Thread Phillip J. Eby

Hi folks.  I'm working on a ZPatterns 0.4.2b1 release for the early part of
the coming week, and intend to bug Ty into perhaps releasing an 0.9.0 beta
later in the week.  However, these versions are likely to have some
(hopefully minor) compatibility issues with previous releases.  Specifically:

* We would like to drop support for Zope 2.1.x from here on out.  I know at
least one user has a production 2.1.x system, and I hate to strand them,
but at least they can continue to use existing ZPatterns releases until
their client can upgrade.  Dropping 2.1.x support means that we may be able
to get rid of DynPersist, which should be a big plus for ease of
installation.  It also means that we'll be able to start adding newer
capabilities that take advantage of 2.2.x-isms such as
getPhysicalPath()/restrictedTraverse(), etc.

* We would like to drop support for Specialists directly containing data
plug-ins.  This feature was intended to allow for acquiring shared data
plug-ins from within Racks, so that common attribute or sheet providers
could be shared among Racks without copying.  In practice, Ty and I have
never once used this capability, and it could be easily replaced with the
ability to "include" a SkinScript within another SkinScript, if we take
advantage of 2.2.x-isms.

* Related to the above, the "Link to Acquired Provider" and "Acquired ...
Provider" objects would no longer be needed, since they exist only to make
use of shared plug-ins contained in Specialists.  We would remove these
classes from ZPatterns, causing any existing instances to become "broken".
Deleting these "broken" objects, however, would restore normal operations
of the system.

As you can see, all of these issues are somewhat interrelated.  I wanted to
post some advance warning of all this, so that if anyone has any
objections, they would have a last chance to protest.  :)

The overall release plan at this point is that the only other major
features planned in the 0.4.x series are content providers (mirroring
virtual sub-objects from SQL, LDAP, or whatever) and local role providers
(computation by an object of local roles applicable to a user).  I do
expect to add a few minor features in the way of easier SkinScript editing,
and some hooks to allow help to be added to the management tabs which are
auto-generated for PlugInGroups.  The next big project will be
documentation, now that the feature set and terminology is beginning to
stabilize.


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