[Zope3-dev] Proposal for file-system synchronization in Zope3

[Andy McKay]

There are two issues here: synchronization and serving.

If we dont want to discuss the issue of serving content from the file system
thats fine, lets leave that out for now, its a whole other discussion.

But lets take a look at File Directory Views that are in the CMF. They allow
me to write a Script Python object on the file system. I can then write
properties and security for that object by making .properties and .security
files. Whilst the object remains on the file system, it can be served from
Zope. This product then allows you to "customise" the object and lo and
behold an object is created inside Zope. I've syncrohnised from the File
System to Zope.

Its a relatively trivial script to do the reverse for example
(http://www.zope.org/Members/andym/zodb2fs). However these two systems
generate files that are incompatible with each other. Sounds like I have a
very similar system now to Jim's. If the File Directory Views from the CMF
are broken would some time being spent on improving those be better? How
does this proposal help CMF?

How about exporting and importing? When I export an object I get a "lossless
file system representation" of the object. It happens to be in binary or xml
format, that is harder to edit, diff etc. Would this system be another
option for exporting / importing a file? There are a few minor differences
there, but I don't see why the two couldnt be integrated: export as xml /
zexp or "editable object". I suppose the only big difference is that when
you import an object it replaces rather than changes an existing object.

> What Jim is developing is *very* different from any of the
> serve-from-filesystem products, and does not obviate the need for them.
> CVSFile and friends might want to look at Jim's code, but otherwise
> I don't think there's any overlap.

Like I said, Im happy to differentiate between serving from the file system
and syncronising, but I would note in Jim's proposal there is no comment
saying CMF's Directory Views suck (I dont like them much myself), heres
why...
--
  Andy McKay
  www.agmweb.ca