[mod_python] Approaches to handling input forms.

On 22/10/2004, at 8:20 AM, Damjan wrote:

>> A question on what people perceive as being best practice as far as  
>> dealing
>> with forms when using mod_python.
>
> How about this:
> You have the FORM spec in an XML file with the [lets say] .pyfrm
> extension. This extension is associated with a special mod_python
> handler [mod_python.form].

Personally, I'm not a fan of all these different magical extensions
people have come up with just to satisfy mod_python's way of working
out which handler to use. One of the main issues is that it exposes
within the URL the particular implementation mechanism being used.

Now, whether or not the form mechanism is driven by XML, by Python
data structures or programmatically, at its basic level it should be
usable as a library without any restriction that it will only work
within the confines of a particular framework. If you want to then
wrap it in an additional layer so that the above is possible, fine.

Anyway, there seems to have been ample prior work on forms validation
support for Python. Ie., see:

    
http://toulouse.amber.org/archives/2003/09/03/ 
python_form_and_validation_kits.html

Probably a good place to start for doing an evaluation of what is out
there. Some look specific to particular frameworks, but others aren't.

Oh, the FormEncode link isn't really any longer valid, see:

   http://formencode.org/

If there is a good library out there already for doing this, better
off just using that than starting from scratch.



--
Graham Dumpleton (grahamd at dscpl.com.au)