Item14089: Adding a mode=application to CopyContrib

Proposal (10 June 2016)

The application mode is similar to the topics mode. The following parameters will be honoured:

Name	Description	Default
source	A list of topics to be copied	%BASEWEB%.%BASETOPIC%
destination	The destination web where the topics are to be copied
template	A template web to be used in case the destination web does not exist yet and needs to be created on the base of a template	_default

The source parameter will take a comma separated list of the form:
source_topic_name => target_topic_name [copy_type]. White space will be ignored.

The significance of the parts is:

source_topic_name	The topic to be copied. The name can be of the form web.topic. Web defaults to the BASEWEB.	Mandatory
target_topic_name	The topic name to be created in the destination web. Defaults to the topic in the source_topic_name	Optional
[copy_type]	The copy_type can be topic or stub. The default is topic.	Optional

For example:

mode=application;source=BookLayout;destination=Book;template=_default

will copy %BASEWEB%.BookLayout to Book.BookLayout. The Book web is created if it does not exist.

mode=application;source=ApplicationWebPreferencese=>WebPreferences;destination=Book;template=_default

will copy %BASEWEB%.ApplicationWebPreferences to Book.WebPreferences. The Book web is created if it does not exist.

mode=application;source=Applications.RenderSimpleTopicCreator[stub];destination=Book;template=_default

will copy Applications.RenderSimpleTopicCreator to Book.RenderSimpleTopicCreator as a stub. The Book web is created if it does not exist.

mode=application;source=ApplicationWebHome=>WebHome[stub];destination=Book;template=_default

will copy %BASEWEB%.ApplicationWebHome to Book.WebHome as a stub. The Book web is created if it does not exist.

As you can see, this construct caters for all deployment requirements of applications. A particular web can be supported by multiple applications. Home pages and preferences can be distributed as part of the Applications web.

Comments welcome

-- BramVanOosterhout - 10 Jun 2016

Implementation (12 August 2016)

Following up, I have created an implementation of the design presented. I attach the code. In summary I have:

• added a mode application to CopyContrib.pm
• implemented CopyContrib/ApplicationAgent.pm which:
  • copies the default web
  • uses TopicAgent to copy topics
  • implements new functionality to create stubs

I have also implemented a new workbench function RenderApplicationDeployer, which takes a DeploymentList topic as input. The DeploymentList topic contains a table of the form:

source_topic_name

target_topic_name

copy_type

RenderApplicationDeployer uses this table to generate the mode=application input parameters:
source_topic_name => target_topic_name [copy_type]

I have attached that code as well.

Now that I have completed this, I have a few questions:

• I could not work out how to use the WebAgent to create a web, without additional topics. Can that be done?
• I copy the stub in the ApplicationAgent. I wonder whether there is virtue in implementing a separate TopicStubAgent and leaving the ApplicationAgent to integrate the parts.
• The RenderApplicationDeployer function turned out to be tricky in dealing with the defaults. I wonder whether it would be worthwhile (or confusing) to extend the application mode with an additional copy_type: deploymentlist. The DeploymentList topic can then be passed as

  source=DeploymentList [edploymentlist]

  and the parsing can be done more robustly in the ApplicationAgent.

-- BramVanOosterhout - 12 Aug 2016

Complete implementation for review (31 March 2017)

I have completed my updates to the CopyContrib for mode=applications

The updated files are avalable in CopyContrib-Application.tgz. They are:

file	Purpose/Change
lib/Foswiki/Contrib/CopyContrib.pm	Added the stub and application mode.
lib/Foswiki/Contrib/CopyContrib/CopyAgent.pm	minor change. Added scalar.
lib/Foswiki/Contrib/CopyContrib/WebAgent.pm	minor change. Propagated the debug parameter.
lib/Foswiki/Contrib/CopyContrib/TopicStubAgent.pm	new module. Derived from TopicAgent.pm and will create a stub for a given topic.
lib/Foswiki/Contrib/CopyContrib/ApplicationAgent.pm	new module. Implements the copy of a web with new syntax.
data/System/CopyContrib.txt	Added descriptions for modes application and stub.

I have also created an example of the use of the application as part of the WikiWorkbench.

The additional files are available in WikiWorkbenchContrib-Deployment.tgz.

The example will deploy a new web, supporting the development of an application. It uses the DeploymentList. You can jump there in the Applications web. You are presented with a deployment list which has a Deploy button at the bottom.

Clicking Deploy will create a web similar to that created by the New WikiApplication button on the Applications.WebHome page.

The deployment list	On successful completion...

... creates the Testweb

Have a look. I look forward to your comments.

-- BramVanOosterhout - 31 Mar 2017

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