[Zope] Newbiw: How to use Zope for simple CMS sharing docs (word,etc) and

Andreas Kostyrka andreas@kostyrka.priv.at
28 Aug 2002 09:21:41 +0200


Am Die, 2002-08-27 um 20.57 schrieb Niels Petersen:
4 options: ;)
a) use a standard zope, design some security roles and use the
management interface to upload files.
b) use CMF, let the users have their own user directories. Afterwards
create some custom datatypes (ZClasses or perhaps even Python), and use
ZCatalog to navigate it. Let people put a document in their home
directory, label it with keywords like "customerdoc cust10034", and
voila you can just query the ZCatalog for documents refering to
customers in general, to specific customers, etc.
c) use just some parts of Zope like ZPublisher and roll it on your own.
d) create a new "user oriented" management interface.

The problems that you probably will have, is that with the exception
of c) all solutions tend to store the information in the ZODB. Moving
the files outside to a filesystem is either more work, or doesn't make
sense or both :) [With b) documents do not a "logical" place because the
Folders are generated on the fly.]

For an example how ZCatalog can be used for navigation, see the download
area of Zope.org.
> Dear Zopers,
> 
> have installed Zope and even plone (great UI!), am technically capable but 
> new to Zope/Python.
> 
> I was hoping to get the above subject up and running with minimum effort but 
> am stuck - here my "requirements" - any and all suggestions on how to 
> implement these (with min programming) welcome:
> 
> * Simple CMS portal for sharing files (word docs, ppt,etc)
Well, for Zope this are just binary Files with some MIME type attached,
...
> * Ability to categorize" files into "folders" (like "designdoc", 
> "customerdoc",etc)
Either use something Folderish (Folder, OrderedFolder, ...)
or go with "logical" Folders with ZCatalog.
> * Easy mechanism for uploading/downloading files (somehow explorer like woul 
> be great)
Well, look at the management interface. You probably will not get
anything easier. Depending upon your server platform, You probably could
design a FTP/WEBDAV/SMB interface where the storage acts as a kind of
network drive, and people can just drag their files to it, ...

> * Simple discussion forum/news section
Look at the Products at zope.org
> * User management (site only accessible to registered users)
Builtin.
> 
> Nice2Have:
> * Versioning of files - at minimum some method of notifying that one member 
> is currently updating a file..
ZODB support versioning by default. 
> * Use filesystem (and NOT ZODB) for storage of all files
Well, you could do that, but you might loose some interesting features.
Like ACID transactions, Undo of older uploads, etc.
> *
> 
> I am the opinion that Zope can do most (all) of this but need pointers to 
> where to start and/or if anybody out there has some pre-packaged solution..
Probably. 

You should just look what EXACTLY you want.
In the most trivial cases, Zope just as it comes, with modification of 2
methods, adding an index_html might do what you want it to do.

Andreas