Zope style (was: tuning our site (was: help! advocacy resources needed fast))

[Michael Chermside]

Dylan Reinhardt writes:
> Hello, <dtml-var fname>.  This is demonstration of MySoft version
> <dtml-var software-version>.  Just think, <dtml-var fname>, now 
> you can shift paradigms and think outside the box at 
> <dtml-var company> without leaving your office.
> 
> vs.
> 
> my_output = """Hello, %s.  This is demonstration of MySoft
>          version %s.  Just think, %s, now you can shift 
>          paradigms and think outside the box at %s without 
>          leaving your office.""" % (fname, version, fname, company)
> return my_output
> 
> --------
> 
> I find the former to be far more readable and more easily maintained...
> particularly as the size of the sample increases.  Inserting additional
> variables or moving around existing ones is easy in the first sample and
> must be done carefully in the second.

I think you just need a minor style change in your python code. I find
the following about as readable as your DHTML code:

  my_output = """Hello, %(fname)s.  This is demonstration of MySoft
           version %(software_version)s.  Just think, %(fname)s, now 
           you can shift paradigms and think outside the box at 
           %(company)s without leaving your office.""" % nameMap
  return my_output

Of course, PEP 292 makes this marginally better:

  my_output = """Hello, $fname.  This is demonstration of MySoft
           version $software_version.  Just think, $fname, now 
           you can shift paradigms and think outside the box at 
           $company without leaving your office.""".sub(nameMap)
  return my_output

Now that's really quite readable and maintainable.

-- Michael Chermside