oh, we don't use comments here, do we?

[git.ikiwiki.info.git] / doc / todo / structured_page_data.mdwn

diff --git a/doc/todo/structured_page_data.mdwn b/doc/todo/structured_page_data.mdwn
index 62d5f04d6c1570afc590c9ece01328c50e76944c..9f21fab7fa6488b53cb0e5f8b8d918724bd6e475 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/todo/structured_page_data.mdwn
+++ b/doc/todo/structured_page_data.mdwn
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 This is an idea from [[JoshTriplett]].  --[[Joey]]
 
 This is an idea from [[JoshTriplett]].  --[[Joey]]
 

+* See further discussion at [[forum/an_alternative_approach_to_structured_data]].
+

 Some uses of ikiwiki, such as for a bug-tracking system (BTS), move a bit away from the wiki end
 of the spectrum, and toward storing structured data about a page or instead
 of a page. 
 Some uses of ikiwiki, such as for a bug-tracking system (BTS), move a bit away from the wiki end
 of the spectrum, and toward storing structured data about a page or instead
 of a page. 


@@ -82,6 +84,10 @@ See also:
 >    rather than all pages linked from a given page.
 >
 >The first use case is handled by having a template in the page creation.  You could
 >    rather than all pages linked from a given page.
 >
 >The first use case is handled by having a template in the page creation.  You could

+
+
+
+

 >have some type of form to edit the data, but that's just sugar on top of the template.
 >If you were going to have a web form to edit the data, I can imagine a few ways to do it:
 >
 >have some type of form to edit the data, but that's just sugar on top of the template.
 >If you were going to have a web form to edit the data, I can imagine a few ways to do it:
 >


@@ -165,6 +171,93 @@ See also:
 >>>> I've just updated the second of the two patches below.  The two patches are not mutually
 >>>> exclusive, but I'm leaning towards the second as more useful (for the things I'm doing). -- [[Will]]
 
 >>>> I've just updated the second of the two patches below.  The two patches are not mutually
 >>>> exclusive, but I'm leaning towards the second as more useful (for the things I'm doing). -- [[Will]]
 

+I think it's awesome that you're writing this code to explore the problem
+space, [[Will]] -- and these plugins are good stabs at at least part of it.
+Let me respond to a few of your comments.. --[[Joey]]
+
+On use cases, one use case is a user posting a bug report with structured
+data in it. A template is one way, but then the user has to deal with the
+format used to store the structured data. This is where a edit-time form
+becomes essential.
+
+> This was the idea with the 'form' plugin.  With the 'data' plugin I was exploring
+> a different approach: try to keep the markup simple enough that the user can edit
+> the markup directly, and still have that be ok.  I admit it is a stretch, but I thought
+> it worth exploring.
+
+Another use case is, after many such bugs have been filed,
+wanting to add a new field to each bug report. To avoid needing to edit
+every bug report it would be good if the fields in a bug report were
+defined somewhere else, so that just that one place can be edited to add
+the new field, and it will show up in each bug report (and in each bug
+report's edit page, as a new form field).
+
+> If I was going to do that, I'd use a perl script on a checked out
+> workspace.  I think you're describing a rare operation and
+> so I'd be happy not having a web interface for it.  Having said that,
+> if you just wanted to change the form for *new* pages, then you
+> can just edit the template used to create new pages.
+
+Re the form plugin, I'm uncomfortable with tying things into
+[[!cpan CGI::FormBuilder]] quite so tightly as you have.
+
+> Yeah :).  But I wanted to explore the space and that was the
+> easiest way to start.
+
+CGI::FormBuilder
+could easily change in a way that broke whole wikis full of pages. Also,
+needing to sanitize FormBuilder fields with security implications is asking
+for trouble, since new FormBuilder features could add new fields, or
+add new features to existing fields (FormBuilder is very DWIM) that open
+new security holes. 
+
+> There is a list of allowed fields.  I only interpret those.
+
+I think that having a type system, that allows defining specific types,
+like "email address", by writing code (that in turn can use FormBuilder),
+is a better approach, since it should avoid becoming a security problem.
+
+> That would be possible.  I think an extension to the 'data' plugin might
+> work here.
+
+One specific security hole, BTW, is that if you allow the `validate` field,
+FormBuilder will happily treat it as a regexp, and we don't want to expose
+arbitrary perl regexps, since they can at least DOS a system, and can
+probably be used to run arbitrary perl code.
+
+> I validate the validate field :).  It only allows validate fields that match
+> `/^[\w\s]+$/`.  This means you can really only use the pre-defined
+> validation types in FormBuilder.
+
+The data plugin only deals with a fairly small corner of the problem space,
+but I think does a nice job at what it does. And could probably be useful
+in a large number of other cases.
+
+> I think the data plugin is more likely to be useful than the form plugin.
+> I was thinking of extending the data directive by allowing an 'id' parameter.
+> When you have an id parameter, then you can display a small form for that
+> data element.  The submission handler would look through the page source
+> for the data directive with the right id parameter and edit it.  This would
+> make the data directive more like the current 'form' plugin.
+
+> That is making things significantly more complex for less significant gain though. --[[Will]]
+
+> Oh, one quick other note.  The data plugin below was designed to handle multiple
+> data elements in a single directive.  e.g.
+
+    \[[!data key="Depends on" link="bugs/bugA" link="bugs/bugB" value=6]]
+
+> would match `data_eq(Depends on,6)`, `data_link(Depends on,bugs/bugA)`, `data_link(Depends on,bugs/bugB)`
+> or, if you applied the patch in [[todo/tracking_bugs_with_dependencies]] then you can use 'defined pagespecs'
+> such as `data_link(Depends on,~openBugs)`. <a id="another_kind_of_links" />The ability to label links like this allows separation of
+> dependencies between bugs from arbitrary links.
+>> This issue (the need for distinguished kinds of links) has also been brought up in other discussions: [[tracking_bugs_with_dependencies#another_kind_of_links]] (deps vs. links) and [[tag_pagespec_function]] (tags vs. links). --Ivan Z.
+
+>>> And multiple link types are now supported; plugins can set the link
+>>> type when registering a link, and pagespec functions can match on them. --[[Joey]] 
+
+----
+

     #!/usr/bin/perl
     # Interpret YAML data to make a web form
     package IkiWiki::Plugin::form;
     #!/usr/bin/perl
     # Interpret YAML data to make a web form
     package IkiWiki::Plugin::form;


@@ -174,21 +267,21 @@ See also:
     use CGI::FormBuilder;
     use IkiWiki 2.00;
     
     use CGI::FormBuilder;
     use IkiWiki 2.00;
     

-    sub import { #{{{
+    sub import {

        hook(type => "getsetup", id => "form", call => \&getsetup);
        hook(type => "htmlize", id => "form", call => \&htmlize);
        hook(type => "sessioncgi", id => "form", call => \&cgi_submit);
        hook(type => "getsetup", id => "form", call => \&getsetup);
        hook(type => "htmlize", id => "form", call => \&htmlize);
        hook(type => "sessioncgi", id => "form", call => \&cgi_submit);

-    } # }}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub getsetup () { #{{{
+    sub getsetup () {

        return
                plugin => {
                        safe => 1,
                        rebuild => 1, # format plugin
                },
        return
                plugin => {
                        safe => 1,
                        rebuild => 1, # format plugin
                },

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub makeFormFromYAML ($$$) { #{{{
+    sub makeFormFromYAML ($$$) {

        my $page = shift;
        my $YAMLString = shift;
        my $q = shift;
        my $page = shift;
        my $YAMLString = shift;
        my $q = shift;


@@ -267,9 +360,9 @@ See also:
        # IkiWiki::decode_form_utf8($form);
        
        return $form;
        # IkiWiki::decode_form_utf8($form);
        
        return $form;

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub htmlize (@) { #{{{
+    sub htmlize (@) {

        my %params=@_;
        my $content = $params{content};
        my $page = $params{page};
        my %params=@_;
        my $content = $params{content};
        my $page = $params{page};


@@ -277,9 +370,9 @@ See also:
        my $form = makeFormFromYAML($page, $content, undef);
     
        return $form->render(submit => 'Update Form');
        my $form = makeFormFromYAML($page, $content, undef);
     
        return $form->render(submit => 'Update Form');

-    } # }}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub cgi_submit ($$) { #{{{
+    sub cgi_submit ($$) {

        my $q=shift;
        my $session=shift;
        
        my $q=shift;
        my $session=shift;
        


@@ -342,11 +435,11 @@ See also:
        }
     
        exit;
        }
     
        exit;

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     package IkiWiki::PageSpec;
     
     
     package IkiWiki::PageSpec;
     

-    sub match_form_eq ($$;@) { #{{{
+    sub match_form_eq ($$;@) {

        my $page=shift;
        my $argSet=shift;
        my @args=split(/,/, $argSet);
        my $page=shift;
        my $argSet=shift;
        my @args=split(/,/, $argSet);


@@ -377,7 +470,7 @@ See also:
        } else {
                return IkiWiki::FailReason->new("field value does not match");
        }
        } else {
                return IkiWiki::FailReason->new("field value does not match");
        }

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     1
 
     
     1
 


@@ -393,22 +486,22 @@ See also:
     
     my $inTable = 0;
     
     
     my $inTable = 0;
     

-    sub import { #{{{
+    sub import {

        hook(type => "getsetup", id => "data", call => \&getsetup);
        hook(type => "needsbuild", id => "data", call => \&needsbuild);
        hook(type => "preprocess", id => "data", call => \&preprocess, scan => 1);
        hook(type => "preprocess", id => "datatable", call => \&preprocess_table, scan => 1);   # does this need scan?
        hook(type => "getsetup", id => "data", call => \&getsetup);
        hook(type => "needsbuild", id => "data", call => \&needsbuild);
        hook(type => "preprocess", id => "data", call => \&preprocess, scan => 1);
        hook(type => "preprocess", id => "datatable", call => \&preprocess_table, scan => 1);   # does this need scan?

-    } # }}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub getsetup () { #{{{
+    sub getsetup () {

        return
                plugin => {
                        safe => 1,
                        rebuild => 1, # format plugin
                },
        return
                plugin => {
                        safe => 1,
                        rebuild => 1, # format plugin
                },

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub needsbuild (@) { #{{{
+    sub needsbuild (@) {

        my $needsbuild=shift;
        foreach my $page (keys %pagestate) {
                if (exists $pagestate{$page}{data}) {
        my $needsbuild=shift;
        foreach my $page (keys %pagestate) {
                if (exists $pagestate{$page}{data}) {


@@ -423,7 +516,7 @@ See also:
        }
     }
     
        }
     }
     

-    sub preprocess (@) { #{{{
+    sub preprocess (@) {

        my @argslist = @_;
        my %params=@argslist;
        
        my @argslist = @_;
        my %params=@argslist;
        


@@ -463,9 +556,9 @@ See also:
        }
        
        return $html;
        }
        
        return $html;

-    } # }}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub preprocess_table (@) { #{{{
+    sub preprocess_table (@) {

        my %params=@_;
     
        my @lines;
        my %params=@_;
     
        my @lines;


@@ -485,11 +578,11 @@ See also:
        push @lines, '</table>';
     
        return join("\n", @lines);
        push @lines, '</table>';
     
        return join("\n", @lines);

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     package IkiWiki::PageSpec;
     
     
     package IkiWiki::PageSpec;
     

-    sub match_data_eq ($$;@) { #{{{
+    sub match_data_eq ($$;@) {

        my $page=shift;
        my $argSet=shift;
        my @args=split(/,/, $argSet);
        my $page=shift;
        my $argSet=shift;
        my @args=split(/,/, $argSet);


@@ -509,9 +602,9 @@ See also:
        } else {
                return IkiWiki::FailReason->new("value does not match");
        }
        } else {
                return IkiWiki::FailReason->new("value does not match");
        }

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     

-    sub match_data_link ($$;@) { #{{{
+    sub match_data_link ($$;@) {

        my $page=shift;
        my $argSet=shift;
        my @params=@_;
        my $page=shift;
        my $argSet=shift;
        my @params=@_;


@@ -535,6 +628,6 @@ See also:
        }
     
        return IkiWiki::FailReason->new("No data link on page $page with key $key matches glob $value");
        }
     
        return IkiWiki::FailReason->new("No data link on page $page with key $key matches glob $value");

-    } #}}}
+    }

     
     1
     
     1