[REBOL] Project introduction ... Re: Re: RFC: Rebol Framework
From: petr:krenzelok:trz:cz at: 8-Oct-2002 17:36
Robert M. Muench wrote:
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: [rebol-bounce--rebol--com] [mailto:[rebol-bounce--rebol--com]]
>>On Behalf Of Robert M. Muench
>>Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2002 6:09 PM
>>To: Rebollist
>>Subject: [REBOL] RFC: Rebol Framework
>>
>>
>
>>Hi, I have updated my rebol-framework effort.
>>
>>
>
>Hi, no feedback from anybody? Robert
>
Well ... I will start from another end. I am currently busy (I was busy
even before ;-), as I started some preparation work for my part time
job. The thing is - I will desing our regional info system for my
friend's local area info centre. It will start small, it will feature
initially tens or hundreds of records, but what I will need is well
thought out system relations. There will be db, IOS like aproach, plain
text files, representing various items. There will be three levels of
system developers - me, coder, web (not only web) designer, and IC ppl
entering data. There will be also several output "devices" - web page of
our town, other web portal, kiosk systems, presentation CDs, etc.
I also need to divide work amongst various ppl. You surely remember our
yesterdays discussion about rebol-server-pages aka build-markup. That
kind of work is not flexible and abstracted to my requirements. I can't
imagine 1) dropping my web-designer as I was suggested by Martin to do
:-) 2) and that's why my cooperation with web-designer has to happen in
different way.
In the initial stage, let's suppose part of the system, which will hold
accomodation info ...
The rough idea is that I will create small reblets allowing my IC friend
Alena to enter her data into. The reblet will import current db into
text-list, and allow her to add/edit/delete. I have yet to decide, if I
will keep central db and add some button to reblet to tell what info
gets synced where or I will have distributed db and import/export
from/to different location (e.g. paid system, where company X doesn't
pay to be presented on kiosk no. 3)
Then there is designer, Martin, who does design. I already outlined,
that I have no intention in intermixing my rebol code with his html one.
Thanks to DockKimbel and Chris I know that there is a better way -
modular aproach to html and custom tags. I think that I will go similar
route, eg..
<%table_2 [
module: table
needs: 1.0 ; ensures the server engine will be able to parse html
section ...
rows: 10
cols: 2
]%>
<%/table_2%>
I have yet prove to myself it can work, but the idea is to develop
server engines (modules), which knows how to parse = handle stuff
in-between. So, it is upon, me, if module 'table, in version 1.5,
exposes more api to web-developer or not. It would be even cool, if
Martin's WYSIWYG tool allowed me to create plug-in (dialog box) to
enable him to config it. That way, he has more freedom to introduce
nearly whatever layout to the section he likes to (of course, it still
needs to be parsed though :-).
The interesting part, related to framework itself, comes in Alena's
department. My problem is - I am an average coder, what Cyphre codes in
5 minutes takes me an hour and still my solution will not be so elegant
:-) And so, to properly understand some principles, I have to start my
own way first. What I would like to create is really dynamic system,
where IC ppl could extend various object attributes, but I am not sure
it will lead so far. I can somehow feel that Robert's framework offers
something like that, but it still crashes on me sometimes and I still
don't know how to use it, where to start.
Let's suppose following objects (they are far from being complete),
representing first area of system - accomodation info (they serve as
templates)...
obj-accomodation:: make object! [
id:
name:
Street:
Town:
Zip:
phone: []
fax:
email: []
www:
category: ; e.g. chalet, pension, hotel, motel, etc.
maps: [] ; e.g. 001 200x200 100x100 , where 001 leads to some
%mapblabla.jpg
cell-signal: [] ; can you use your phone?
photos: [] ; divide into four years seasons?
description: {}
internet: false
rooms: [] ; can have 0 to X rooms ....
]
obj-room: [
id:
placement: ; central building, etc.
category:
no-beds:
toilet:
shower:
tv:
cable-tv:
phone:
internet:
fridge:
price-bed:
price-inc-breakfast:
description:
]
1) I like objects - I always did - the path navigation is easy :-)
That's the first thing someone will have to explain me - why
naked-objects or RFM uses blocks and name value pairs? Is there any
advantage?
2) As you can see, I need some relations - each building has its rooms,
- typical parent child relationship. That relationship can be expressed
in RFM, if I understand it correctly, but what if child can have its own
child relationships etc.?
3) Can objects be extended in the real time by adding another attribute?
Should I rebuild the rest of objects then, or just prepare query engine
that there can be some object field, which doesn't have to be found with
previous version of object?
4) I have to keep in mind, that my system will have to be multilingual ...
Don't get me wrong - I started with few testing scripts, from the
scratch, as I need to understand from the very beginning how things
model for me, what is good and what turns into being incorrect aproach,
etc.. I come from relational database world so things like associative
model of data, dynamic systems, etc., are rather new to me. I know I
will further test RFM, simply to map my thoughts to someone's else's. As
I will progress, become more powefull at the ground, I can look once
again how do I differ from other's pov, and eventullly scrap my own
solution in favor of another one, e.g. RFM.
So, any kind of enlightenment is appreciated here, as it can form my pov
and eventually save me from unnecessary work :-)
So, sorry for long post ... I just hope, that in the end, the project
will turn into being fun - it is one of those kind of projects for
non-profit organisations, where there is no big company to push you to
do it that way or other way and so place to learn something new for me
... :-)
-pekr-
