[ZDP] Beginners Guides

Rik Hoekstra rik.hoekstra@inghist.nl
Thu, 11 May 2000 13:07:52 +0200


[snip]

> One other little suggestion: how about having a very brief description
> below each title (by title I mean ZDP Portals, Zope Quick Reference,
> Zope Book and the like) as I can imagine it would still be very
> confusing for a newbie to come to zdp.zope.org and try and figure out
> what all these things are...

On the front page I would like to have just the Portals. Is it
unrealistic to assume that people will select their Portal
without a short introduction ?


[rh]Not if they have already been there. Otherwise, an introduction is a
good idea. Wouldn't it be a good idea to insert texts/introductions
depending on the last time someone visited the homepage (using a cookie and
a simple dtml-if/else), and afterwards use a link (like: more or short
intro) instead?

Hm, think about this, why not make more things customizable in this way?
That way you can make good use of the dynamic capabilities of Zope. I'll be
happy to help contributing (if i can find the time ;-))


> Anyway, back to the New Zope Users & Developers portal.
> I see this being made up basically of Beginners Guides, which should all
> be based heavily around examples (like the original ZCMG and ZDG
> were...) including the following topics:
>
> 1. How to Install Zope (Unix, NT, etc...)
> 2. Building Your First Zope Application (DTML Methods, etc, but NO
> security)
> 3. Zope Security
> 4. Using Relational Databases
> 5. Developing Your Own Product (ZClasses, Python Methods, etc)
> ...and maybe some more? (suggestions please ;-)

I guess part of that is already done:

http://www.zope.org/Documentation/Projects/Tutorial

We should work together with Amos to make this a great resource.


[rh] The tutorial (which is basically a canned hands-on session) is not
enough. Newbies also need some more 'theoretical' (read: higher level,
conceptual) texts to get them acquainted with Zope and it's (basic)
concepts: what is dtml, what can I use it for, how? What are all these
objects I can choose from. I have a sql database, can I connect it to Zope?
How? And then. Believe me, I have seen people struggle with this.

> These are not supposed to be comprehensive, just a give a 'possible
> root' to doing something in simple, clear, reliable & up-to-date terms.
> I can see each one being made up of a Step-By-Step guide (literally:
> step 1: do this, step 2: do that...)

That's exactly what the Tutorial is about.

See his Tutorial Notes:

http://www.zope.org/Documentation/Projects/Tutorial/TutorialNotes


[rh] see above. Moreover, as far as I have seen it, first time users stumble
blindly through the tutorial, do not know what is happening, have little
affinity with the subject and do not care what is happening. I think they
learn best by getting somehing done. Let's try and give them a hand in
determining _what_ can be done with Zope, why Zope is good for it and how to
do it. In this last part the tutorial may come in as a handy illustration.
MacroMedia authorware has a usable concept in help/tutorial. They have
reusable, annotated and extensible pieces of software for key tasks and a
higher level description how to integrate them.
In this way the tutorial could be extended.

BTW, this is not quite meant as criticism of the tutorial, 'cos I think it
is a good and important piece of work. It is just a piece of the puzzle.

> with a section of (filtered for newbies) FAQ at the bottom and
> possibly a collection of jump-off links related to that topic.

We need to link to the Tutorial once we have installed it on
ZDP.

> The idea is very much to keep it simple but make sure it works. I see
> this as being a new Zope users first port of call. No assumptions should
> be made and nothing complicated should be introduced unless it has to.
> Lots of screenshots/etc would also be useful and they should be
> available as PDFs/PS files for download. Some people (me included... ;-)
> find it a lot easier to work from a printed guide when you're already
> using the screen for something else...


[rh] See above. That way you'll be able to track much better what you've
been doing/are going to do next.

>
> If people think this is a good idea and someone can show me how (and I
> can find some time...), I'd be happy to give the implementation of the
> above a go...

Yes. Hm, perhaps we should consult with Amos about this. I'll be happy to
contribute something.

Rik