[Zope-Annce] [Ann] TamedXMLExport for Steve Spicklemire's ZCVSFolder

Dieter Maurer dieter@handshake.de
Mon, 11 Feb 2002 22:47:40 +0100


Steve Spicklemire has implemented ZCVSFolder, a product that provides restricted CVS support for Zope objects. CVS operations are performed via an intermediate working directory inside the file system. ZCVSFolder uses Zope's import/export facility to synchronize the Zope objects with the corresponding files in the file system and normal CVS commands to synchronize working directory and repository.

While ZCVSFolder is already very helpful, there are currently two severe restrictions:

  1. The XML export format contains lots of ids consecutively assigned. They provide the necessary references in case that the same subobject is referenced twice. However, these ids make merging a nightmare, as already small changes of an object lead to wide spread changes in these artificial ids.

  2. The recursive features of ZCVSFolder are enabled only for standard Zope Folders. Other types of ObjectManagers are not supported. Even for Zope Folders, properties assigned to the folders are not CVS maintained. The reason comes from the fact, that Zope Folders are mapped to file system directories and they do not have place to store the properties.

The module "CVSSupport" provides a significant improvement towards the first restriction.

More information and download at

  <http://www.dieter.handshake.de/pyprojects/zope>


I fear that even the tamed "exportXML" of this module is not yet
stable: When you import an object and export it again, the
result may be different from the original XML file causing
unnatural revisions in CVS. I am working on a stable export
facility.


Dieter