Forum OpenACS Q&A: Re: Just the database API

Collapse
2: Re: Just the database API (response to 1)
Posted by Don Baccus on 03/11/03 11:52 PM
What happens if you just take the database procs from acs-tcl/tcl and source them?  There may be pieces you need in acs-bootstrap-installer/tcl, too.  You only want to load the non-specific tcl file(s) and either the *-postgresql.tcl or *-oracle.tcl files, not both!

The template system can be ripped out standalone, that includes the form builder.  I know at least one person did this to make it available for OpenACS 3.x.  You  might have to rip out some hooks but if so they'd be very minimal.

If you wanted to bundle these up as standalone, tested tarballs we could probably host them here.  They certainly are useful for AOLserver users who don't want to develop an OpenACS site per se.

Collapse
3: Re: Just the database API (response to 2)
Posted by Alfred Werner on 03/12/03 12:21 AM
Tks Don - I'll give it a shot. If it looks like it would be a good package, generally useful - I'll be in touch :)

Sort of leads to another issue that always tickles (pun intended) the back of my brain - what layer should features be included in? To whit - OpenACS is an open-source project built on AOLserver - which is open-source project built on/in/around TCL which is an open-source project (which is written largely in C in which case you should use SWIG and make the modules available in ALL scripting languages, but I digress)..

To my thinking any feature should be pushed as far DOWN the stack as possible (or practical) to allow it to have the widest reach/appeal and 'bazaar' qualities that will lead to its continual improvement.

So should the 'improved' database API make its way into AOLserver as an optional package someday? Is the distinction that the AOLserver modules are all written in C and OpenACS is a layer of TCL native code on top? That's what appears to be the case to my eye.