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Large extensibility with the ZOPE application server

Author: Dr. Frank Hoffmann, HOFFMANN+LIEBENBERG, 2001/08/18

ZOPE offers a number of prefabricated extensions on the website www.zope.org. The programming interfaces of ZOPE are DTML and Python. Aadaptors and interfaces for diverse data bases, minutes and interfaces are existing.

The template programming takes place in DTML: DTML tags and HTML code are integrated to templates. These templates contain the actual text bodies, the navigation of the present site is produced completely with DTML. More complex functions are developed in Python for reasons of efficiency. The inclusion of the Python code can either be realised by templates or by so-called ZOPE products. The latter are integrated into the system and as objects available at any place. ZMS is such a complex ZOPE product. ZOPE supports the uncomplicated extension of ZMS by further products (such as forums, newsletters etc.) through his special object model that makes an "inheritance" of such add-ons in the ZMS hierarchy possible.
ZMS offers the following basic features:

Easy usability, especially when editing and indexing content (web forms)
Strict separation of content and design
Universally applicable, modular template model and powerful design concept
Multilingual publishing model; preformed, extendable content objekt model
Categorisation concept and library-conformable meta tags for professional content indexing
Workflow and role concept
Editorial work tools for efficient processes (notes, alerting, work lists)
Consistent links, bidirectional links
Client ability: many websites can be run on one computer and organised in a portal architecture
XML/XSL interface for document import/export
Broad extensibility through the basic Zope technologies (DTML, Python; data base interfaces, persistent object orientation and inheritance etc.)
Production advantage by use of content modules resp. application modules