[Zope] Building a site template

[Philip Kilner]

Hi John,

John Poltorak wrote:
>>I know you'll hear others say this, but try ZPT if you can - it does my 
>>head in, and sometimes seems very cryptic, but it better defines where 
>>design/HTML end and function/Script begins.
> 
> Do I need Plone for that? 
> 

No, in fact the ZPTs in Plone are a bit heavy-duty to begin with.

> Where can I grab some sample ZPT pages, just to see what they look like?
>  

I've just installed a clean copy to see what's in there now - and am 
surprised to see that I don't see the examples I remember...anybody?

>>How well do you know Python?
> 

OK, well Python is relatively easy, but the reason I asked is that you 
need to do something "satisfying" to get hooked - you could stick to 
working with templates to get some look-and-feel mileage, or play with 
some products to get a feel for what's out there...

> Plone on top of CMF on top of Zope on top of Python all installed and 
> managed remotely, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. There's just 
> too much to go wrong, but I'll persevere in the hope that it may 
> eventually work... 
> 

OK, well it might /sound/ like a tower of cards, but really it's a very 
logical progression: -

- Python is a scripting language, suited to web applications.
- Zope is a web application server written in Python.
- CMF is a content-management framework written in Zope - a tool kit for 
content management applications.
- Plone is a full-blown out-of-the-box content management application.

> Does Plone come with its own tutorial?
> 

No as such, as far as I know. As a content management system it is 
fairly intuitive - but making it for things it doesn't do out of the box 
is a bit more complicated. I'd definitely get some Zope orientation 
under your belt first.

> I still can't get my head around what it provides.
> 

As a content management system, it's mainly about creating and 
publishing web content, but the complexities of the subject mean that it 
/looks/ like a tool for text-based portal applications. It can do a lot 
more, but sadly many Plone sites never go beyond Plone's own - excellent 
  - look and feel.

It's hard to help in a vacuum - what do you /want/ to do with Zope?

-- 

Regards,

PhilK

Email: phil at xfr.co.uk / Voicemail & Facsimile: 07092 070518

  “The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation
of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control
the people who must use the words.” Philip K. Dick