[Zope-dev] Re: [Zope] Multi tier partitioning meaningful in s ome Zope apps ?

Ken Manheimer klm@digicool.com
Thu, 9 Dec 1999 14:25:40 -0500


Mr Greg Ward wrote:

>   * involuntary use: all my user interface code (DTML methods and
>     documents) goes into this big mysterious object database.
>     I have nothing against object databases, and I'm glad to
>     see a free one for Python.  But dammit, to me this stuff isn't
>     data, it's *CODE* -- and code is far too precious to entrust
>     to a database.  I want it in a filesystem with full CVS control
>     over it.  I want to be able to back it up with tar or afio,
>     one file at a time (or rather, restore it one file at a time,
>     if need be).  I don't want my code locked up in this big
>     box of data.

I don't happen to mind the db holding my code, but like you, i also
really really want the friendly familiar comforts of holding the code in
the filesystem - CVS susceptibility, opportunity to grep to my hearts
delight, why, even editing with emacs!!  FTP access (which dtml in
ZClasses still doesn't have - partly my fault, i had the prerogative but
never found the time to do that) doesn't satisfy me, because the code is
still either in the ZODB or in the filesystem, and i want the benefits
of both.  

The upshot is that _my_ preference would be to have something like the
provision for external methods, where stashed copies of the code is kept
in the ZODB, synchronized (automatically, when zope's running in debug
mode) with copies in the filesystem.  

This perspective, possibly shortsighted, is based on the procedure i
(bravely admit i) use to edit ZClass dtml code, in the few projects
where i do so. I maintain all my dtml in the filesystem, checked into
cvs in the filesystem, edited with emacs, and (wheeze) i cut and paste
using X and a handy emacs macro, into the pAthetic browser text widget.
I'd be ever so happy if Zope would cut out that last step, and do the
sync for me.

(I would prefer that the autosynchronization were switchable in an
acquired way, so i could set installations on a per-product basis,
switching my production-sensitive products to a safer manual-sync
setting, and my under-development ones to the sleeker autosync...)

> Enough ranting for now.  Guess I should do as AMK recommended and join
> zope-dev... sigh... I'll *never* get any work done now...

(I can't keep up with the traffic.)

Ken Manheimer
klm@digicool.com