Re: Simple DAV Server?
Trevor Phillips wrote: On Wednesday 11 June 2003 05:13, you wrote: Trevor Phillips wrote: I'm quite suprised at the limited amount of custom DAV server uses. I mean, here's a protocol for editing content over HTTP, which to me screams as an ideal solution for, say, editing full HTML content within a DB/CMS. I think the problem with webDAV, as a protocol through which to manipulate web pages, lies in the fact that it is difficult to manipulate dynamic content without sending the rendered content to the client, instead of the true source. (Phew!! That was long winded... :P ) The only way that I have found to do it, is to either break the web server, (ie publish to a web server that doesn't have the dynamic language engine installed), or... (I don't know of another solution that works... :( ) I'm aware of the issue, but don't see it as a show-stopper. You could use an alternate URL to direct DAV handling to a different handler. ie; To view: /path/to/content/ To edit: /dav/path/to/content/ ... where the module associated with /dav/ knows how to retrieve the raw content (be it files, or a map to DB-stored content) of the normal path. When viewing the content, you could provide links to the edit version of the URL. This is probably not the appropriate venue for a discussion on webDAV, but I feel that this type of work-around, which I use, is not appropriate. I think that there will need to be an addition to HTTP, which will define the difference between a GET for viewing content, and a GET for publishing... Since webDAV is a standard, it should be possible to argue the need for such a device. If we can get that device introduced into HTTP, then after a time, client applications will be altered to work thus, and voila!! Until then, I find this approach to be less than satisfactory speeves cws
Simple DAV Server?
I'm quite suprised at the limited amount of custom DAV server uses. I mean, here's a protocol for editing content over HTTP, which to me screams as an ideal solution for, say, editing full HTML content within a DB/CMS. I mean, I've been working as Technical Support at a uni for Web Services, and there seems to be these two sides; on one side are the advocates of a file-based system, using any range of HTML editing tools to edit your content (and preferrably some server-side templating for maintaining common look and feel). On the other side is a content management system, which is heavily template structured, with content being chunks of text (or HTML) edited using web forms, or custom editors (eg; in Java). One way of obtaining the advantages of both of these techniques would be to use a DB-driven CMS, but edit the content chunks using a DAV editor. I'd like to write a simple DAV interface to a DB myself, but I'm looking for existing perl modules to make things easier, but I haven't found a heck of a lot along these lines. Most Perl Dav things seem to be more client focussed. Of those that are for server stuff, they seem either overly complicated (eg; Apache::DAV), or fairly immature, and still emphasising filesys structures (eg; HTTP::DAVServer). I suppose what I'm after is an implementation which is easily adaptable to editing data within a DB. I'm considering implementing enough of the HTTP methods to be functional myself, but would rather not bite off more than I have time to chew if there's a nicer solution. Any suggestions? -- . Trevor Phillips - http://jurai.murdoch.edu.au/ . : Web Technical Administrator - [EMAIL PROTECTED] : | IT Services- Murdoch University | | On nights such as this, evil deeds are done. And good deeds, of / | course. But mostly evil, on the whole. / \ -- (Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters) /
Re: Simple DAV Server?
On Wednesday 11 June 2003 05:13, you wrote: Trevor Phillips wrote: I'm quite suprised at the limited amount of custom DAV server uses. I mean, here's a protocol for editing content over HTTP, which to me screams as an ideal solution for, say, editing full HTML content within a DB/CMS. I think the problem with webDAV, as a protocol through which to manipulate web pages, lies in the fact that it is difficult to manipulate dynamic content without sending the rendered content to the client, instead of the true source. (Phew!! That was long winded... :P ) The only way that I have found to do it, is to either break the web server, (ie publish to a web server that doesn't have the dynamic language engine installed), or... (I don't know of another solution that works... :( ) I'm aware of the issue, but don't see it as a show-stopper. You could use an alternate URL to direct DAV handling to a different handler. ie; To view: /path/to/content/ To edit: /dav/path/to/content/ ... where the module associated with /dav/ knows how to retrieve the raw content (be it files, or a map to DB-stored content) of the normal path. When viewing the content, you could provide links to the edit version of the URL. -- . Trevor Phillips - http://jurai.murdoch.edu.au/ . : Web Technical Administrator - [EMAIL PROTECTED] : | IT Services- Murdoch University | | On nights such as this, evil deeds are done. And good deeds, of / | course. But mostly evil, on the whole. / \ -- (Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters) /
Simple DAV Server?
I'm quite suprised at the limited amount of custom DAV server uses. I mean, here's a protocol for editing content over HTTP, which to me screams as an ideal solution for, say, editing full HTML content within a DB/CMS. I mean, I've been working as Technical Support at a uni for Web Services, and there seems to be these two sides; on one side are the advocates of a file-based system, using any range of HTML editing tools to edit your content (and preferrably some server-side templating for maintaining common look and feel). On the other side is a content management system, which is heavily template structured, with content being chunks of text (or HTML) edited using web forms, or custom editors (eg; in Java). One way of obtaining the advantages of both of these techniques would be to use a DB-driven CMS, but edit the content chunks using a DAV editor. I'd like to write a simple DAV interface to a DB myself, but I'm looking for existing perl modules to make things easier, but I haven't found a heck of a lot along these lines. Most Perl Dav things seem to be more client focussed. Of those that are for server stuff, they seem either overly complicated (eg; Apache::DAV), or fairly immature, and still emphasising filesys structures (eg; HTTP::DAVServer). I suppose what I'm after is an implementation which is easily adaptable to editing data within a DB. I'm considering implementing enough of the HTTP methods to be functional myself, but would rather not bite off more than I have time to chew if there's a nicer solution. Any suggestions? -- . Trevor Phillips - http://jurai.murdoch.edu.au/ . : Web Technical Administrator - [EMAIL PROTECTED] : | IT Services- Murdoch University | | On nights such as this, evil deeds are done. And good deeds, of / | course. But mostly evil, on the whole. / \ -- (Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters) /
