[Zope] An observation about manage_* methods

[albert boulanger]

This has a question to it if I am not overlooking something. I often
want to design dtml_methods that allow the end user to manage content
under his control. An example of a typical manage method that you
often see is like:


From TinyTable.py:

def manage_editData(self, data, REQUEST=None):
	"""Change item data"""
        self._rows = map(self._FixRow, ImportExport.ImportData(data))
        self._n_rows = len(self._rows)

        self._GenerateIndex()
        
        return self.manage_editedDialog(REQUEST)


Now there is an assumption in this code that the editing context that
this is being called from is some manage_ method, hence returns like
"return self.manage_editedDialog(REQUEST)". This is annoying if you are
writing a user-managed content method that does not wants the user to
see the manage interface because eventually it goes to one with such
returns. Instead, I would like to have control on where he/she returns
(often to the method I wrote or to  index_html). I could do a
<dtml-call "RESPONSE.redirect..., but the return
self.manage_editedDialog(REQUEST) gets in the way. Am I overlooking
something or is this a weakness in this design pattern for management?
I could wind up making my own version of manage_editData that does not
do the return self.manage_editedDialog(REQUEST). (I know some code at
least conditionalizes this to the presence of REQUEST.)

Thoughts? Ideas?

Regards,
Albert Boulanger
aboulanger@ldeo.columbia.edu