Restarting zope for plone developmentΒΆ
In ye olde barbaric days, one thing was handy: templates and python
scripts reloaded just fine in debug mode and a refresh.txt in your
product went a long way to not having to restart your zope too often.
Zcml only loads on startup, so a change there means a zope restart, probably nothing to be done about that. But I seem to be restarting zope for just about every single little python change.
So I asked around on the mailinglist last month: on the current strategies for preventing too many zope restarts during development? I was bound to miss a few tips and tricks otherwise :-) So here's a summary.
- Raphael Ritz had the shortest answer: TDD. Yes, test driven development is core to preventing restarts as you minimize the amount of in-browser testing and trying.
- I've tried RefreshNG and that seemed to work reasonably OK. Not all the time, but it helped. Andreas Jung rightfully mentioned it. I didn't install it in the last projects I worked on: time for a more focused test later this month.
- Kai points towards my restart-preventing product of
choice: pyflakes
. The best python syntax checker available! Missing imports,
=instead of==, head-slapping stuff like that. Catch it before restarting zope :-) - Kai again: PDBDebugMode can help you to find a solution exactly at the point of error. It does actually prevent try-error-retry restarts and is a joy to use.
Martin Aspeli provided the full list of rules on what requires a restart:
- If you are in non-debug-mode, a restart is required for any change at all, more or less.
- If you are in debug mode, any .pt file changed anywhere does not require a restart
- If you are in debug mode, any Zope 3 browser resource (accessed with the ++resource++ namespace) can be changed without a restart
- GenericSetup XML files and Install.py files (unless there's also an Install.pyc file, but you can delete it while Zope is running) created in Extensions for use by portal_quickinstaller can be changed without a restart. However, a custom setuphandler in a normal .py file cannot be change.d
- Anything in a skin layer will not require a restart - that includes Script (Python)'s.
- Any other kind of .py file change will require a restart
- Any ZCML change will require a restart
Those plone mailing lists sure are great :-)
Tags: plone
Reinout van Rees
My name is Reinout van Rees and I program in Python, I live in the Netherlands, I cycle recumbent bikes and I have a model railway.
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/grok/+bug/213269
/@@code_reload didn't work for me for a portlet renderer, but moving the renderer class definition to a separate file and importing the renderer in the file referenced by the zcml worked.
I guess it has to do with ZCA registration.
But in most cases it works well (and saves time).
bin/zeo_client_2 debug < mytest.py
where mytest.py might be:
from mysite.theme.setuphandlers import SiteSetup
cp = SiteSetup()
cp.MyMethodToTest(app.plonesite)
... then maybe evolve it into a more formal unit or doc test later ...
Luckily I like to do it :-)
I've recently made the decision to increase the frequency with which I blog (and not only on plone, so not all of it will show up on planet.plone.org). Your positive feedback helps a lot in strengthening that resolve.
It also means that I'm also inviting negative (or "improvement-oriented") feedback in order to improve myself. I really really want to learn.
mailing lists are really helpful, and all the plone people is kicking ass, but you rule, and i propose you as one of the best plone reporter out there!
hope you'll have a great 2008 and to meet you soon!
Maurizio