[RFC] Cocoon Tutorial

[Glen Ezkovich <gl...@hard-bop.com>]

Hello  All,

I am about to start putting together a tutorial on using Cocoon to 
develop web applications. The approach I plan to take is use case 
driven and incremental, where complexity is built up over the course of 
the tutorial. Currently, my plan is to approach things from two 
perspectives, presentation and control. The model and business logic 
will be provided but will not be explicitly considered in the tutorial 
except as an API. The tutorial will be designed to give all those 
working on a project an understanding of the separation of concerns, 
Cocoon's place in the application, the sitemap, pipelines,  Generators, 
Transformers, Serializers, flow, and at least an introduction to 
CForms. I'm tempted to include a section on Hibernate but, I really 
would like not to require a database to actually have to be run. One of 
the goals is to have it work work with a default Cocoon installation, 
minimal or otherwise. One of the lesser goals is to demonstrate 
Cocoon's flexibility while at the same time pointing out some of the 
dangers of that flexibility. The tutorial will be as much about method 
and process as it is about Cocoon.

As you can see this will be quite an undertaking. I would like to align 
the tutorial with the community's thinking as much as possible. While I 
think I have a good understanding of the community, both in agreement 
and in disagreement, I've learned not to assume to much. If there are 
any aspects of any of the topics above you feel that are essential, any 
points you would like emphasized, any relationships made clear or any 
comments you care to make about this undertaking, I would be most 
interested in hearing them. While I have favored approaches to 
developing with Cocoon, I recognize that other approaches are valid and 
am willing to discuss and demonstrate them in the tutorial.

Right now, I'm also planing on using aggregation. I know that VPC's are 
coming. Does anyone know what their status is at the moment and a time 
frame for their release? I'd much rather use these.

My intention is to make the pieces available for comments as they are 
completed. As with all my projects, this will be done iterative and 
incremental manner. As things stand now I would suspect that the first 
part should be completed by mid January. (assuming no unexpected work 
comes in)

Thanks for your time, comments and help.

Glen Ezkovich
HardBop Consulting
glen at hard-bop.com
http://www.hard-bop.com



A Proverb for Paranoids:
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to 
worry about answers."
- Thomas Pynchon Gravity's Rainbow

Re: [RFC] Cocoon Tutorial

[Glen Ezkovich <gl...@hard-bop.com>]

On Dec 20, 2004, at 2:39 PM, Tony Collen wrote:

> Glen Ezkovich wrote:
>
> <snip/>
>
>> As you can see this will be quite an undertaking. I would like to 
>> align the tutorial with the community's thinking as much as possible. 
>> While I think I have a good understanding of the community, both in 
>> agreement and in disagreement, I've learned not to assume to much. If 
>> there are any aspects of any of the topics above you feel that are 
>> essential, any points you would like emphasized, any relationships 
>> made clear or any comments you care to make about this undertaking, I 
>> would be most interested in hearing them. While I have favored 
>> approaches to developing with Cocoon, I recognize that other 
>> approaches are valid and am willing to discuss and demonstrate them 
>> in the tutorial.
>
> I think you should build off of the "Supersonic Tour" block. There's 
> already a bunch of great stuff there that needs to be brought into 
> "main" documentation.

You are right. It is amazing to me that the Tour can not be taken from 
the Cocoon site. I agree that there is some great stuff, but our needs 
are for something a bit more comprehensive. I want to build mind share 
as well as delve into the nitty gritty.  As I mentioned, the tutorial 
will be as much about method and process as Cocoon. Where appropriate I 
am willing to beg and borrow, I just won't steal... at least without 
attribution. ;-)


Glen Ezkovich
HardBop Consulting
glen at hard-bop.com
http://www.hard-bop.com



A Proverb for Paranoids:
"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to 
worry about answers."
- Thomas Pynchon Gravity's Rainbow

Re: [RFC] Cocoon Tutorial

[Tony Collen <co...@umn.edu>]

Glen Ezkovich wrote:

<snip/>

> As you can see this will be quite an undertaking. I would like to align 
> the tutorial with the community's thinking as much as possible. While I 
> think I have a good understanding of the community, both in agreement 
> and in disagreement, I've learned not to assume to much. If there are 
> any aspects of any of the topics above you feel that are essential, any 
> points you would like emphasized, any relationships made clear or any 
> comments you care to make about this undertaking, I would be most 
> interested in hearing them. While I have favored approaches to 
> developing with Cocoon, I recognize that other approaches are valid and 
> am willing to discuss and demonstrate them in the tutorial.

I think you should build off of the "Supersonic Tour" block. There's 
already a bunch of great stuff there that needs to be brought into 
"main" documentation.


Tony