[Zope] - A Powerful Client-Side Program

Christopher G. Petrilli petrilli@amber.org
Thu, 28 Jan 1999 13:29:28 -0500


On Thu, Jan 28, 1999 at 09:57:00AM -0800, Bruce Perens wrote:
> Paul:
> > Zope doesn't have a powerful client-side program.
> 
> Mozilla. A powerful Open Source client-side program just begging you to add
> Zope-specific features to it.
> 
> To start with, add DTML tags to the Composer so that you can visually edit
> your Zope web site.
> 

Well, this sounds great, but I can think of one problem... DTML tags
LOOK and are legitimately HTML comments according to every HTML standard
ever released... this means we'd have to hack up the HTML comment markup
a lot, which strikes me as crude...

This would be better suited with a long -ago discussion of modifying the
DTML code (or providing a second language) that more closely resembles
what one would do in XML... a quick example:

<?dtml if object>  blah  <?dtml /if>
<?dtml in object>  blah  <?dtml /in>
<?dtml expr "Pythonexpression">

You get the idea? This allows you to use the existing XML stnadard of PI
(Processing Instructions)... which are designed to be:

"PIs are not part of the document's character data, but must be passed
through to the application. The PI begins with a target (PITarget) used
to identify the application to which the instruction is directed. The
target names "XML", "xml", and so on are reserved for standardization
in this or future versions of this specification.  The XML Notation 
mechanism may be used for formal declaration of PI targets. "


This seems to fit well, and honestly looks better ot me than the current
notation (which uses the comment hack that was the only available option
at hte time of creation).


Chris
-- 
| Christopher Petrilli
| petrilli@amber.org