[vos-d] VOS scripting

[Lalo Martins]

I started the scripting subsystem this weekend.  I expect to work on it a
bit this week and refine the design; then I'll write some docs on how it
works, both from the "how to use it" perspective and from the "design
breakdown" perspective.

If you want to take a look at the branch, it's published at Launchpad,
which is Canonical's development portal thingie:
https://launchpad.net/people/lalo.martins/+branch/vos/scripting

If you already have the main VOS branch in bzr, here's the fast way to get
mine:

% bzr branch vos vos-scripting # or just copy it with `cp -a` or rsync
% cd vos-scripting
% bzr pull http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~lalo.martins/vos/scripting

mostly, I got my existing python code to run again, and turned it into a
site extension.  Next step is moving more APIs into the extension, so that
it looks more VOS-ish; then get some basic JavaScript functionality; and
then figure what parts of the code can be moved to common,
language-neutral base classes.

This is phase 1... until the 0.24 release, there is much more, with the
goal being full JS scriptability.  Although "full" is still not definet
very precisely... ;-) probably it will be the checklist in the original
vos-python document:

- use a script to handle a message
- store a script in a property and call it explicitly
- scripts are able to look up objects, as children of an object or all the
way up from a site, ACLs permitting
- scripts are able to get property values, ACLs permitting
- scripts are able to send messages to local or remote objects

Plus the non-read-only complement:

- scripts can modify property values, ACLs permitting
- scripts can insert, move and remove child objects, ACLs permitting
- scripts can create new objects, ACLs permitting

Note it's still treated more or less like a remote site; me and Peter have
been discussing this over IRC.  There's no provision on the API to add
site extensions, for example.

Notably missing is subscribing; I'll probably leave this to the next one,
although I'd prefer to have it if there is time.

best,
                                               Lalo Martins
--
      So many of our dreams at first seem impossible,
       then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they
       soon become inevitable.

best,
                                               Lalo Martins
--
      So many of our dreams at first seem impossible,
       then they seem improbable, and then, when we
       summon the will, they soon become inevitable.

best,
                                               Lalo Martins
--
      So many of our dreams at first seem impossible,
       then they seem improbable, and then, when we
       summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
--
personal:                              http://www.laranja.org/
technical:                    http://lalo.revisioncontrol.net/
GNU: never give up freedom                 http://www.gnu.org/