[pmwiki-users] New Acme recipe...

[Hsing-Foo Wang]

Thanks. Still a bit unclear about the naming convention, core,
wrapper, form engine etc.

I rather call it ZAP (used to be FAST) Is ACME a different thing or a
wrapper of some kind? Can I live without ACME and 'simply' use ZAP to
get ALL functionality?
Will ZAP (not talking about ACME here) follow PmWiki progression fro
beta to stable etc?
I really need to get my mind clear on this cause I can not defend
choices based on misunderstanding or discontinued pieces of code.

Not trying to be a pain here, trying to get things very clear for at
least my little brain.

Thanks,
-HF



On 4/18/07, The Editor <editor at fast.st> wrote:
> On 4/17/07, Hsing-Foo Wang <hsingfoo at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Guys,
> >
> > I am completely lost regarding ZAP.....
> >
> > - Has development stopped?
>
> I'm going to try and freeze development for awhile, as ZAP's gone
> through some pretty rapid change the last few months, and it really
> needs to stabilize.  Instead I want to focus on fixing any bugs that
> pop up, and tweaking the underlying code where it can be improved. Not
> to mention ZAP can now do about everything I originally envisioned for
> it.  Nothing really left on my todo list.... Or even my wishlist...
>
> > - What's the official status
>
> The code is quite functional and works well.  Most of it's commands
> are in full operation at ZAPsite in the snippets section. Feel free to
> take a look.  It's also quite well documented--now with numerous
> tutorials as well as an extensive developers section. Hans changed the
> status to beta for me because PmWiki is in beta status, and ZAP
> requires the latest beta versions.  Other than that it is quite
> stable.
>
> > - Is it safe to use
>
> No known security vulnerabilities or bugs.  All are fixed as rapidly
> as possible. In some ways it is more secure than other processors as
> it uses session variables for all it's major commands. Plus it has a
> powerful config option which can enable you to completely lock down
> the entire toolbox, and it's fully integrated into PmWiki's security
> system via a custom forms submission password.
>
> > - Do I need to use ZAP or ACME
>
> The Acme Forms ZAPPING Engine is the name of the recipe. The
> underlying code and scripts continue to be called ZAP.
>
> > - What does the future look like
>
> Only more stability. As PmWiki continues to add features to core, ZAP
> will try its best to fully integrate those changes into its core, as
> it has always done. No new features on the horizon, though it remains
> fully extensible for those who might need some command ZAP can't do. I
> am still willing as always to consider suggestions for improving its
> syntax, but will try hard to avoid breaking existing forms in the
> future.
>
> > - Why all these names
>
> I chose the Acme recipe name in deference to those who think ZAP is
> not too far off from Wiley Coyote's various contraptions. There's also
> a note on the recipe page someone sent me from wikipedia that I
> thought was especially appropriate. Feel free to continue referring to
> it as ZAP if you prefer. Or the Acme ZAPPER or whatever.  It's all
> still the same basic code.
>
> > In my book, ZAP appears unreliable for production use.
>
> You could always give it a try. The new release makes a big
> improvement in terms of ease of installation and configuration. The
> main ZAP core has been virtually unchanged through the last revision.
> It only affected the extensions (rolled them all into one toolbox) and
> the ZAP markups (now refactored to use Pm's new core addition).  All
> in all it is more stable and useable than ever.  There are NO known
> bugs on my fix list, at the moment. Eh, there is a markup expression
> extension or two that are not working perfectly--but it seems to be a
> bug in Pm's code not ZAP.
>
> > Please enlighten me.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Cheers,
> Dan
>