Webware for Python

Release 0.2 on 5/12/2000
http://webware.sourceforge.net

Synopsis

Webware for Python is a suite of software components for developing web-based applications. Key points include:

Python-oriented.
Object-oriented.
An expansive suite of components and features.
Components that can be used together or independently.
Excellent documentation.
Numerous examples.
Open source development and community.

Feedback

Webware is open source and feedback in all areas (concept, design, code, documentation, packaging, etc.) is appreciated. Please e-mail Chuck Esterbrook at echuck@mindspring.com with any questions/comments or even an offer to help.

Description

Each component has a focused purpose and can often be used on it's own. At the same time, the components are designed to work together where appropriate. As a user of Webware, you can bite off as much or as little as you want to chew.

Webware for Python contains the following components:
(Note that PSP and MiddleKit aren't effectively there yet.)

Package Ver Docs Synopsis

WebUtils 0.2 Docs WebUtils are a basic set of functions for common web related programming tasks such encoding/decoding HTML, etc.

CGI Wrapper 0.2 Docs The CGI Wrapper is a CGI script used to execute other Python CGI scripts. The wrapper provides convenient access to form fields and headers, exception catching, and usage and performance logging. Hooks are provided for cookies and class-based CGI scripts.

WebKit 0.2 Docs WebKit provides Python classes for generating dynamic content from a web-based, server-side application. It is a significantly more powerful alternative to CGI scripts for application-oriented development. WebKit is analogous to NeXT/Apple's WebObjects and Sun's Servlets.

Python Server Pages (PSP) NOT YET Docs A Python Server Page (or PSP) is an HTML document with interspersed Python instructions that are interpreted to generate dynamic content. PSP is analgous to PHP, Microsoft's ASP and Sun's JSP.

MiddleKit NOT YET Docs For building the "middle tier" of an application server, that is, the domain-specific objects in between the front end and the database/datastore. MiddleKit is roughly analogous to NeXT/Apple's Enterprise Objects and Sun's Enterprise Java Beans.

Package	Ver	Docs	Synopsis
WebUtils	0.2	Docs	WebUtils are a basic set of functions for common web related programming tasks such encoding/decoding HTML, etc.
CGI Wrapper	0.2	Docs	The CGI Wrapper is a CGI script used to execute other Python CGI scripts. The wrapper provides convenient access to form fields and headers, exception catching, and usage and performance logging. Hooks are provided for cookies and class-based CGI scripts.
WebKit	0.2	Docs	WebKit provides Python classes for generating dynamic content from a web-based, server-side application. It is a significantly more powerful alternative to CGI scripts for application-oriented development. WebKit is analogous to NeXT/Apple's WebObjects and Sun's Servlets.
Python Server Pages (PSP)	NOT YET	Docs	A Python Server Page (or PSP) is an HTML document with interspersed Python instructions that are interpreted to generate dynamic content. PSP is analgous to PHP, Microsoft's ASP and Sun's JSP.
MiddleKit	NOT YET	Docs	For building the "middle tier" of an application server, that is, the domain-specific objects in between the front end and the database/datastore. MiddleKit is roughly analogous to NeXT/Apple's Enterprise Objects and Sun's Enterprise Java Beans.

Status

Webware is fairly new and as such has a long way to go. If you are interested in contributing please contact echuck@mindspring.com.

You can also keep up on new releases through the announcement list and the home page at http://webware.sourceforge.net.

Warning: Since this version is pre-1.0 there is the possibility that things can get rewritten and more importantly, redesigned. Although there is an emphasis on stablizing the API as soon as possible, there is no guarantee or even attempt at backwards compatibility for new releases at this point in time.

Information

Home:	http://webware.sourceforge.net
Version:	0.2
Requirements:	Python 1.5.2. Tested on UNIX.
Author:	Chuck Esterbrook, echuck@mindspring.com.
Announcements:	webware-announce
Copyright:	See the Copyright, License and Disclaimer below.

Ground Rules

Misc
- Webware is pro-Python. These software components are not about Java, C++ or any programming languages.
- The various software components are meant to be accessible in a stand alone fashion except in those cases where one component builds on another. That doesn't preclude the idea that the components can provide hooks for integration or even automatically integrate other components when their presence is detected.
- A clean, object-oriented style of development is used as much as possible.
- However, Webware components don't provide a special class for each type of HTML tag. It's generally easier and more efficient to use strings like '<br><hr>' than to say something like 'BreakLine() + HorizontalRule()'.
- Documentation is meant to be of the highest caliber so that users can more quickly get up and running with Webware.
- All components are accompanied by examples that also serve as tests.
- Although Webware includes more than one independent component, it's not intended to be a hodge-podge repository of any kind of web component written in Python. New components should fit into the 'feel' of what's there already and provide integration with other components whereever possible. The emphasis is on high-quality object-oriented components (with the mild exception of WebUtils).
Source Code Conventions
- Misc
  - Tabs are used for source indentation and set to 4 spaces in width.
- Naming Conventions
  - The suffix Kit, indicates an object-oriented framework.
  - The suffix Utils, indicates a miscellaneous collection of functions, data and classes.
  - The convention for naming methods is name() and setName() (as opposed to getName(), setname() or set_name()). Note that Python is inconsistent in this regard (hasattr(), has_key()), but it is ideal to pick a convention for a project and stick with it. The chosen convention for Webware is taken from Smalltalk and Objective-C and is fairly close to the Java convention.

Future

Document MiscUtils.
Implement PSP and MiddleKit.
Get gendoc or pythondoc going on the source code.
Complete the configuration of the sourceforge.net site.
Consider switching docs to Latte.
Investigate
- Fusebox
- FastCGI.
- Lemburg's page which contains something called mxCGIPython.
- Python stuff/dbObj and Kura Grammar Server.
- HyperText by Andy Dustman
- Other packages at V of P
See the Future sections of the documentation for each component for more info.

Copyright, License and Disclaimer

Webware is open source. The Webware source is copyrighted, but you can freely use and copy it as long as you don't change or remove this copyright notice. The license is a clone of the OSI-approved Python license.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of Chuck Esterbrook not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission.

CHUCK ESTERBROOK DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, IN NO EVENT SHALL CHUCK ESTERBROOK BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

Trademarks

All trademarks are reserved by their respective owners.

Thanks to...

Guido van Rossum for Python

SourceForge for hosting Webware for Python