[pmwiki-users] New Acme recipe...

[The Editor]

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