[mod_python] Re: Mod_python Digest, Vol 42, Issue 4

Steve Holden steve at holdenweb.com
Fri Sep 15 08:56:24 EDT 2006


Jim Gallacher wrote:
> Steve Holden wrote:
> 
>> Graham Dumpleton wrote:
>>
>>> Steve Holden wrote ..
>>>
>>>> Graham Dumpleton wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> In respect of AddHandler, SetHandler, MultiViews etc, you need to  
>>>>> realise
>>>>> that mod_python is an extension for Apache. Thus, such things like 
>>>>> this
>>>>> aren't actually implemented by mod_python but are implemented
>>>>> by Apache. To use mod_python properly, you also need to understand
>>>>> Apache to some degree and that means also referring to the Apache
>>>>> documentation.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Which, IMHO, is even more obscurantist than the mod_python 
>>>> documentation. It seems to assume you've already read much of the 
>>>> source
>>>> code and are familiar with C ... in which case why would you be 
>>>> using mod_python in the first place :-) ?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As Jim effectively commented, mod_python is more than just a jumping off
>>> point for a content handler. It is quite sad (and frustrating) at 
>>> times to see
>>> that more often than not people ignore all the richness that Apache 
>>> offers.
>>> They just want to use Python for absolutely everything when there are 
>>> other
>>> modules or features provided by Apache that could be used in conjunction
>>> with mod_python and their own Python code to get the job done quicker 
>>> and
>>> more efficiently. More than anything else, this is why mod_python 
>>> development
>>> has languished, because the majority of people cant seem to see the 
>>> bigger
>>> picture. It is only with mod_python 3.3 that one will be able to 
>>> finally do
>>> with mod_python what mod_perl people have had for years and even then
>>> we still don't go anywhere near as far as they do in being able to 
>>> harness
>>> the full power of Apache.
>>>
>> That's great. However, those of us who aren't particularly clued in to 
>> Apache find it difficult to locate appropriate documentation: and I 
>> *have* tried - there just doesn't seem to be that much introductory 
>> documentation. Or I am crap at searching, perhaps.
> 
> 
> You are correct. (About the available documentation... I'm sure your 
> search abilities are just fine ;) ). Everyone here acknowledges that the 
> mod_python documentation could be improved, especially on how it fits 
> into the Apache ecosystem.
> 
> One of the better resources is the book  "Writing Apache Modules with 
> Perl and C". See http://www.modperl.com.  There is some really good 
> information in there that can aid in understanding how Apache works. 
> Unfortunately the examples are in perl, so it helps to already know 
> mod_python so you can translate on the fly - not an ideal situation.
> 
Thanks for the pointer, Jom. Looks like that would be worth the money to 
buy. Maybe there should be a book on Python web programming that 
includes a proper treatment of mod_python.

regards
  Steve
-- 
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