[Zope3-dev] alternate format for configuration files

[zope monkey]

heh, this is funny. after we were done pretty much 
saying the same things you said here in the email at
this nyc sprint, i noticed this email :)

I agree with you and I really like this. I would
like to see this done :)

-chris humphries

--- Jeremy Hylton <jeremy@zope.com> wrote:
> I've been noodling with a different way to write
> Zope3 configuration
> files, and I'd like to get some feedback.  
> 
> We had a Sprint this week were PythonLabs & friends
> spent some time
> writing a simple product.  It was the first time I
> really looked at
> the .zcml files and tried to understand what they
> do.  I found a few
> things difficult:
> 
>     - There is a lot repetition in zcml.  I often
> type the same name
>       over and over again.  Fred showed me how to
> use an XML entity
>       reference (a macro) but that doesn't seem like
> a good solution.
> 
>     - The names of tags don't have obvious meanings.
> 
>     - There is no structure to the configurations. 
> It's just a
>       sequence of directives at the same level and
> in an arbitrary
>       order.  We found that we had many duplicate
> entries in different
>       files, because there was no obvious place to
> put some things.
> 
>     - I think that the use of attributes makes for a
> lot of extra
>       punctuation that is hard on the eyes.  This,
> of course, is a
>       very subjective thing.
> 
> I find that EJB deployment descriptors, which are
> also based on XML.
> I like these descriptors better because they are
> organized
> hierarchically.  All the directives pertaining to a
> particular entity
> bean are contained within the entity bean's
> top-level tag.
> 
> The use of hierarchy means that redundant typing is
> avoided and that
> the names can be simpler and easier to understand.
> 
> I've also made the simplifying assumption that a
> Python dotted path
> name is relative to ZopeProducts when it's used
> inside a Product
> directive.
> 
> I've included two files below.  The first is my
> proposed new syntax.
> It's a rough cut.  I probably have the hierarchy
> wrong and I may not
> being doing the XML right.  The second is the
> existing zcml it's based
> on.
> 
> Any comments?  Is it worth pursuing this approach?
> 
> Jeremy
> 
> <Zope>
> <Product>
>     <Name>JobBoard</Name>
>     <Description>
>         A JobBoard is a moderated collection of job
> postings.
>     </Description>
> 
>     <Interface>
>         <Class>JobBoardEx.IJobList</Class>
> 
>         <View>
>             <Type>Browser</Type>
>             <Name>traverse</Name>
>            
>
<Factory>JobBoardEx.JobList.JobListTraverse</Factory>
>         </View>
> 
>         <View>
>             <Type>Browser</Type>
>             <Default/>
>             <Name>summary</Name>
>            
>
<Factory>JobBoardEx.JobList.JobListTraverse</Factory>
> 
>             <Protect>
>                 <Permission>Zope.Public</Permission>
>                 <Methods>index,
> getApprovedJobs</Methods>
>             </Protect>
>         </View>
> 
> 	<View>
>             <Type>Browser</Type>
> 	    <Name>NewJob</Name>
> 	    <Factory>JobBoardEx.NewJob.NewJob</Factory>
> 	    <Protect>
> 	        <Permission>Zope.View</Permission>
> 		<Methods>index, preview, waiting, getJobView,
> cancel,
> 		    home, submit</Methods>
> 	    </Protect>
>         </View>
> 
>  	<View>
>             <Type>Browser</Type>
> 	    <Name>ApproveJobs</Name>
> 	   
>
<Factory>JobBoardEx.ApproveJobs.ApproveJobs</Factory>
> 	    <Protect>
> 	        <Permission>Zope.View</Permission>
> 		<Methods>index, cancel, submit</Methods>
> 	    </Protect>
>         </View>
>     </Interface>
> 
>     <Content>
>         <Name>JobList</Name>
>         <Class>JobBoardEx.JobList.JobList</Class>
> 
>         <ZMI-Factory>
>             <Permission>Zope.Public</Permission>
>         </ZMI-Factory>
> 
>         <Protect>
>             <Permission>Zope.Public</Permission>
>             <Methods>query</Methods>
>         </Protect>
> 
>     </Content>
> 
>     <Content>
>         <Name>Job</Name>
>         <Class>JobBoardEx.Job.Job</Class>
> 
>         <Protect>
>             <Permission>Zope.Public</Permission>
>             <Methods>*</Methods>
>         </Protect>
> 
>         <View>
>             <Type>Browser</Type>
>             <Name>JobView</Name>
>            
> <Factory>JobBoardEx.JobView.JobView</Factory>
> 
>             <Protect>
>                 <Permission>Zope.Public</Permission>
>                 <Methods>index, simpleView,
> getSubmitter,
>                          getSummary, getDescription,
> getContact
>                 </Methods>
>             </Protect>
>         </View>
> 
>     </Content>
> </Product>
> 
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> The actual config this is based on:
> 
> <zopeConfigure
>          xmlns='http://namespaces.zope.org/zope'
>          xmlns:zmi='http://namespaces.zope.org/zmi'
>         
> xmlns:security='http://namespaces.zope.org/security'
>         
> xmlns:browser='http://namespaces.zope.org/browser'
> >
> 
> 
> <!-- *** Content classes *** -->
> 
> <!-- JobList -->
> 
> <zmi:factoryFromClass 
>          name=".JobBoardEx.JobList." 
>          permission_id="Zope.Public"
>          title="JobList"
> />
> 
> <security:protectClass 
>          name=".JobBoardEx.JobList."
>          permission_id="Zope.Public"
> 	 methods="query"
> />
> 
> <!-- Job -->
> 
> <!-- This doesn't need a factory, since jobs are
> always created by
>      Python code. -->
> 
> 
=== message truncated ===


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