[Zope-dev] [ZConfig] wishlist

[Dieter Maurer]

Today, I incorporated our Zope extensions into Zope 2.7 and had to
determine how I can provide the necessary configuration through
ZConfig. I feel the configuration process is not yet as modular
as it should be?


Let's explain what extensions I have:

 1. an alternate "Transience" implementation for Zope sessions

 2. a new log handler "rotated_logfile" (which performs automatic
    daily rotation with log files named "prefix.date")

 3. a common piece of configuration used for communication
    between Zope and a "checkZope" process (which supervises
    that Zope responds sufficiently fast)
    
I solved 1 and 2 by rudely modifying Zope sources ("zLOG/component.xml"
and associated "handlers", "Zope/Startup/zopeschema.xml" and associated
"handlers"). I do not yet have a solution for 3 but I probably will
give the "checkZope" process the complete Zope schema and configuration
file.

Almost surely, it would not have been necessary to modify
the "zLOG" configuration to get a "rotated_logfile" because components
and sectiontypes provide enough modularity.

However, schemas and configuration files seem not to be modular.

I would like to compose schemas and configuration files from
components: e.g. combine the standard Zope schema and a small
schema for our extensions to form the schema used by the extended
Zope, combine the configuration file from long living
Zope settings (maintained in CVS), instance specific Zope
settings (locally maintained) and configuration fragments
used by Zope and other components (e.g. the "checkZope" process).

I think, a general "include" function for schemas (including not
only types but complete schemas) and configuration files
could provide this kind of modularity.

-- 
Dieter