Mailing-List: contact cocoon-dev-help@xml.apache.org; run by ezmlm
Message-ID: <386FCA09.4C96DF3E@apache.org>
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 22:58:33 +0100
From: Stefano Mazzocchi <stefano@apache.org>
Organization: Apache Software Foundation
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: cocoon-dev@xml.apache.org
Subject: Re: post requests
References: <E1243Ip-00037T-0A@finch-post-10.mail.demon.net>
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Jerm wrote:
> 
> Dear All.
> 
> Has anyone thought about how people who are serving sites via Cocoon
> will handle post requests that require xml (or other) file writing, database
> modification, or XML node addition and modification to existing XML files on the
> server?
> 
> Is this something that should be integrated into Cocoon?
> If so how?
> 
> Or should this be handled by traditional servelet/cgi etc?
> 
> I would personally love the symmetry .... flowing html (form content) back
> through my server via XSL into XML .... closes the loop.

Not a lot, but I've been thinking about this lack of symmetry.

There are some technologies (see DataChannel XPages) that provide hooks
for easier connection between XML web-application and other resources,
but we are on the bleeding edge and there is not much you can do.

If you think deeply about it, this is a non issue: what takes care of
handling POST requests (or any request that modify the status of the
information system) is all contained into the logic realm. So, you can
write your custom producer, or your custom XSP page (which is an easier
way to do the same thing) and let cocoon handle the publishing of the
resulting page (normally something like "yes, your commit was succesful"
or something like that).

Some people proposed to add some XML capabilities to HTTP so that the
request payload is already XML-formatted, but I don't think this solves
anything.

Or you could have a HTTP request filter that XML-ize it, as already
proposed by others... but do you seriously think it's easier for your
logic to use XML API instead of simple Servlet API methods?

IMO, the search for symmetry in this area is nonsense. Logic is logic,
content is content. The only content provided by a POST handler is the
result message and, yes, this will be handled by Cocoon.

Anything else is logic driven and Cocoon should not touch it.

Careful, I'm not saying you should use pure servlets or pure java code,
no, there might be APIs that make your job easier, but this has
_nothing_ to do with the format used to send the page to the browser,
but only to the request/response system used (which always is HTTP for
servlet).

-- 
Stefano Mazzocchi      One must still have chaos in oneself to be
                          able to give birth to a dancing star.
<stefano@apache.org>                             Friedrich Nietzsche
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