July 24, 2006. The training materials for the Plone Magic Camp in Brooklyn, NY. This day-long course helps you get started with rapid application development using ArchGenXML and ArgoUML. We walk through an example of building an Artist and Group classes in ArgoUML, and auto-generate the Plone product code using ArchGenXML.

1. Developing for Plone using
ArchGenXML / ArgoUML
Plone Magic Camp
Brooklyn, NY
July 24, 2006
Nate Aune
Jazkarta Consulting
www.jazkarta.com

2. Who am I?
• Founder and developer, Jazkarta Consulting
(www.jazkarta.com)
• Musician - saxophonist and composer
(www.nateaune.com/music/)
• Founder of Plone4Artists project
(www.plone4artists.org)

3. Agenda
• What is Archetypes?
• What is UML?
• What is ArchGenXML?
• Build a model using ArgoUML
• Transform the model into a Plone product
• Questions?

4. What is Archetypes?
• Framework for developing Plone products
• Automatically creates view and edit pages
• Maintains unique object IDs
• Creates references between objects

5. Archetypes framework
• Field validation
• Standard security setup
• Alternate storage options
• Data transformation capabilities

6. Archetypes schemas
• Schema
• Field
• Widget
• Field
• Widget
• ...

7. Example Archetype:
Artist
schema= Schema((
StringField('title'),
ImageField('photo'),
LinesField('instrument'),
))
class Artist(BaseContent)
schema = BaseSchema + schema
registerType(Artist,PROJECTNAME)

8. Widgets
schema= Schema((
StringField('title',
widget=StringWidget(
label=’Artist name’,
size=20),
),
ImageField('photo',
widget=ImageWidget(
label=’Headshot’),
),
LinesField('instrument',
widget=MultiSelectionWidget(
label=’Instruments’),
multiValue=1,
),
))

9. What is UML?
• UML = Uniform Modeling Language
• Standard widely-adopted graphical language
• Describes the artifacts of software systems
• Focus on conceptual representations

10. Artist:
Described in UML

11. Poseidon UML tool

12. What is ArchGenXML?
• Command line utility
• Auto-generates code from a UML model
• No round-trip support yet
• Custom code is preserved upon
regeneration

13. Why use ArchGenXML?
(part 1)
• You want to save time
• You are a lazy programmer
• You don’t like to reinvent the wheel
• You don’t like copying and pasting code
• You make heavy use of references and
interfaces

14. Why use ArchGenXML?
(part 2)
• You have big projects with many different
content types
• You want or need a well-documented
interface to your product
• You like structured model- and pattern-
driven software development
• You want to maintain your project in the
future without getting a headache

15. UML to Archetypes
using ArchGenXML
schema= Schema((
StringField('title',
widget=StringWidget(
label=’Artist name’
size=20),
),
ImageField('photo',
widget=ImageWidget(
label=’Headshot’),
),
LinesField('instrument',
widget=MultiSelectionWidget(
label=’Instruments’),
multiValue=1,
),
))

16. UML speak to AT speak
• package • product
• class • content type
• operation • method
• attribute • field
• tagged value • property
• stereotype • subclass, view, etc.

17. In practice
1. Save your model to the Products dir
2. Run the ArchGenXML script
3. Restart Zope
4. Install the newly generated product

18. ArchGenXML components
• ArchGenXML
• Optional:
• i18ndude
• stripogram
• ATBackRef
• ATVocabularyManager
• Relations

19. Install ArchGenXML
• Get PloneMagicCamp-bundle
$ svn co svn://svn.plone4artists.org/trunk/PloneMagicCamp-bundle
(* if you don’t have SVN, download the .zip file)
$ cd $INSTANCE/Products
$ ln -s /path/to/PloneMagicCamp-bundle/* .
$ cd i18ndude; sudo /path/to/python setup.py install
$ cd ../; ./getStripogram.sh
$ cd stripogram; sudo /path/to/python setup.py install
* If you don’t have SVN client, get the ZIP file.
$ wget http://www.jazkarta.com/PloneMagicCamp-bundle.zip
$ unzip PloneMagicCamp-bundle.zip

20. Install ArgoUML
• Use the pre-configured one that comes with the bundle
• --OR-- download from http://argouml.tigris.org
$ wget http://argouml-downloads.tigris.org/nonav/argouml-0.20/
ArgoUML-0.20.tar.gz
$ tar xvfz ArgoUML-0.20.tar.gz
$ cd ArgoUML-0.20
$ cp $INSTANCE_HOME/Products/ArchGenXML/argouml/argouml_profile.xmi .
$ cp argouml.sh argouml.sh.orig; vi argouml.sh
change line 48 to:
${JAVACMD} -Dargo.defaultModel=argouml_profile.xmi -jar $
{ARGO_HOME}/argouml-mdr.jar $*
$ sh argouml.sh (to launch ArgoUML)
--OR--
$ java -Dargo.defaultModel=argouml_profile.xmi -jar argouml-mdr.jar

21. AGX options in ArgoUML!

22. Create Artist class

23. Add description and icon

24. Repurpose Title field

25. Set the photo sizes

26. Add instrument vocabulary

27. Running the script
• Save project to $INSTANCE_HOME/Products/ArtistSite.zargo
$ cd $INSTANCE_HOME/Products
$ ArchGenXML/ArchGenXML.py -o ArtistSite ArtistSite.zargo
ArchGenXML Version 1.5.0 svn/devel
(c) 2003-2006 BlueDynamics, Austria, GNU General Public License 2.0
or later
INFO Parsing...
INFO Directory in which we're generating the files: 'ArtistSite'.
INFO Generating...
INFO Starting new Product: 'ArtistSite'.
INFO Generating package 'content'.
INFO Generating class 'Artist'.
$

28. ArtistSite product dir
$ cd $INSTANCE_HOME/Products/ArtistSite
$ ls
content __init__.py i18n skins
Extensions config.py refresh.txt version.txt
$ cd content
$ ls
__init__.py Artist.py
$ vi Artist.py

29. Inspect Artist.py
• Inserts documentation
• Placeholders for custom code
• i18n message ids
• Using ArtistSite/model/generate_source.sh
• inserts author information (ArtistSite.conf)
• creates i18n generated.pot file (i18ndude)
• strips HTML from doc strings (stripogram)

30. Add new artist
1. Restart Zope
2. Install ArtistSite using QuickInstaller
3. Add new Artist

31. Edit artist form

32. View artist

33. Move model into product
• Close ArgoUML since we are going to move the file
$ cd $INSTANCE/Products
$ mkdir ArtistSite/model
$ mv ArtistSite.zargo ArtistSite/model
$ ArchGenXML/ArchGenXML.py --sample-config ArtistSite/model/
ArtistSite.conf
$ cp PloneMagicCamp-bundle/generate_source.sh ArtistSite/model/

34. Edit ArtistSite.conf
• Add your own author, email and copyright
[DOCUMENTATION]
strip-html: yes
author: Nate Aune
e-mail: natea (at) jazkarta (dot) com
copyright: Jazkarta
[GENERAL]
outfile: ArtistSite

35. Edit generate_source.sh
• Change PYTHON_BIN to your Python
#! /usr/bin/env bash
PRODUCT_NAME=quot;ArtistSitequot;
PRODUCTS_HOME=quot;`pwd`quot;
PYTHON_BIN=quot;/sw/bin/python2.4quot;
$PYTHON_BIN $PRODUCTS_HOME/ArchGenXML/ArchGenXML.py -c /
$PRODUCTS_HOME/$PRODUCT_NAME/model/$PRODUCT_NAME.conf /
$PRODUCTS_HOME/$PRODUCT_NAME/model/$PRODUCT_NAME.zargo

36. Run generate_source.sh
$ cd $INSTANCE_HOME/Products
$ ArtistSite/model/generate_source.sh
ArchGenXML Version 1.5.0 svn/devel
(c) 2003-2006 BlueDynamics, Austria, GNU General Public License 2.0
or later
INFO Parsing...
INFO Directory in which we're generating the files: 'ArtistSite'.
INFO Generating...
INFO Starting new Product: 'ArtistSite'.
INFO Generating package 'content'.
INFO Generating class 'Artist'.
$

37. Dynamic vocabulary

38. Add ATVM as dependency
• Edit ArtistSite/AppConfig.py
• Add line to:
• DEPENDENCIES = ['ATVocabularyManager']
• Restart Zope
• Reinstall ArtistSite

39. Vocabulary Library
• Go to Plone Setup and choose Vocabulary Library

40. Add a vocabulary term

41. Hierarchical vocabularies

42. Tagged values
• cd $INSTANCE/Products/ArchGenXML
• ./TaggedValueSupport.py | more
• ./TaggedValueSupport.py tagged-values.txt
•

43. Containment
Use the solid rhomb to make a strict containment
‘Artist’ instances can only be added to an ‘Artists’ instance

44. Use large stereotype

45. Give it a friendly name

46. Add Artists container

47. References
Create a
direct association
results in:
Reference field
group to artist(s)

48. Create direct association

49. Change the multiplicity (0..*)
• Right-click the end point
• Select Multiplicity 0..* (many artists in a group)

50. Group
edit
form
Group is
associated
with artists

51. Reference Browser Widget
as default

52. Configure browser widget
Select the end point
Make multivalued
Specify relationship
Define query

53. Adding references

54. Add back reference

55. Add ATBackRef as
dependency
• Edit ArtistSite/AppConfig.py
• Change line to:
• DEPENDENCIES = ['ATVocabularyManager', ‘ATBackRef’]
• Restart Zope
• Reinstall ArtistSite

56. Back
references
Groups that
artist belongs to

57. Custom view for group folder

58. Assign member stereotype
Add the ‘member’ stereotype to tell
ArchGenXML to subclass CMFMember

59. Computed field

60. Registration form
• SiteMember is installed
• Replaces default member
• Easy way to create new
member types

62. PloneMall
• Example of a sophisticated e-commerce
framework built using UML
• See the UML model here:
• http://www.plonemall.com/uml/UML-beta2.png/image_view_fullscreen

63. What I didn’t cover
• Additional Stereotypes
• actions, portal_tool, abstract, stub,
ordered
• portlets, configlet, customization policy
• Generalization (Interfaces)
• Workflow
• Unit testing, doctests

64. Links
• ArchGenXML presentation - http://www.jazkarta.com/presentations/archgenxml-presentation
• ArchGenXML product page - http://plone.org/products/archgenxml
• ArchGenXML getting started tutorial by Jens Klein
• http://plone.org/documentation/tutorial/archgenxml-getting-started
• PDF formatted: http://www.fraterdeus.com/downloads/ArchGenXML_PDF_0.2.1/view
• Intro to Archetypes by Sidnei da Silva, published on ZopeMag.com
• http://www.zopemag.com/Issue006/Section_Articles/article_IntroToArchteypes.html
• Archetypes: Customizing Plone in 60 seconds (PDF) by Andy McKay
• http://www.enfoldsystems.com/About/Talks/archetypes.pdf
• Archetypes Quick Reference by Maik Röder
• http://plone.org/products/archetypes/documentation/manual/quickref/referencemanual-all-pages
• Archetypes API
• http://api.plone.org/