[Zope] Getting a date into an object title - DON'T Disregard

[Jason Cunliffe]

From: Tim Cook <tim@freepm.org>


> Jason Cunliffe wrote:
> >
> > Tim
> >
> > This is wonderful! Thank you so much.. I wish all Zope docs had such
> > straightahead useful & comprehensive examples.
>
> Thanks Jason. Realize though that I got the information from the
> Zope API in the Help system.
> It's all there, you just sometimes have to look harder. <s>

Indeed :-) In fact your post promted me to dive into the ZopeBook appendix.
Right now I am creating some DTML in the same style as your examples for
general methods etc.

One of the most frustrating things to me is that without certani kinds of
explicit newbie examples, a lot of documentation evades me. I can see a lot
of information is there, but how to actually use it. Often [as soon as you
know how :-)], it turns out be incredibly simple.

for example I look at the API/Docs but {Doh!} I did not realize how that
whole list of variations for ZopeTime could be accessed like that.

Another example is one I am going through right now:

class PropertyManager
'A Property Manager object has a collection of typed attributes called
properties. Properties can be managed through the web or via DTML.'

Until I started reading Dieter's famous Chapter 3, I could not really bridge
the words 'property manager' with the overview/concept some tangible,
something DTML/Python. Who/Where is this property manager I keept
wondering..? Most of the API prose has for me this mysterious look but can't
quite touch quality. Once one does have a consistent real-world example of
use, then a lot of things fall into place. For example it took me a while to
realize that when I read

<dtml-var expr = "someZopeMagic">

That expr was precisely what UI was meant to type and only that.
At first I thought it meant 'some expr goes here'!@#$ phew ;-) The use of
fonts or lack of good delineation really confused me alot and still does.. I
am praying that New Riders do a nice job by making correct dsitinctions
between excample, literal, options etc for Zope program formatting.

I am a visual artist on my way to becoming some kind of a happy programmer,
so perhaps many can't appreciate what I am making such a big deal about. In
reality it is simply that have a whole lot of information spelled out and
presented in a consistent readable manner one can compare and learn very
raidly, which of course leads to creative experiments.. For me, it is often
not that Zope lacks Documentation, but simply I do not know yet how to use
well what there is.

A nice resource I have been going over is AlexR's sorted HowTos:
http://www.zope.org/Members/AlexR/all_howtos_date?pp=1

cheers
- Jason


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Jason CUNLIFFE = NOMADICS['Interactive Art and Technology']