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

[Jim Fulton]

Andy McKay wrote:

...

> I believe there are similar goals and uses in these products.
> 
> I would like to make it easier for:
> a) users to move objects between storages and products

What do you mean by "storages"? "products"?


> b) developers to write products to move objects
> 
> To accomplish this I believe we need a common API for moving objects between
> the ZODB and the file system. One way to achieve this goal is to expand the
> import and export functionality we currently have in Zope to this new "file
> editable" standard.

The first step is to have an API for providing a file-system representation.
Given that, various applications might be written to do synchronization.


> Once we have a common API and standard for moving objects and representing
> objects on the file system, we will have more flexible and powerful tools
> that work with each other.
> 
> Example:
> - I want to serve DTML and Python Scripts in the ZODB from the file system.
> How do I accomplish this?
> - sync the objects using the Synchronization
>  - objects pass through the common API and are written in a standard format
> - serve the objects using FS Directory View (or some similar product)
>  - objects are read using the standard format and served to the user

Synchronization doesn't help with serving.

I believe strongly that synchronizing with and serving from the file system
are too different from each other to try to combine them.  For synchronization,
you need a lossless representation that is convenient for people to manage.
For serving from the file system, you don't need a lossless representation and you need
a representation that's tuned for serving.

Frankly, I don't like serving from the file-system. I don't see much
benefit if the objects are still served from the file system. It doesn't
work at all well with ZEO clustering.

...

> I just want to ensure that if we check something into the core, its a
> standard, flexible, extensible system for the good of all mankind. Whilst
> the syncrohnization proposal is great, I would rather see:
> - this common API and standard file format

What common API and file format?

The proposal includes both. Do you have any comments
on them?

Jim

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