Fields¶
This document highlights unusual and subtle aspects of various fields and field classes, and is not intended to be a general introduction to schema fields. Please see README.txt for a more general introduction.
While many field types, such as Int, TextLine, Text, and Bool are relatively straightforward, a few have some subtlety. We will explore the general class of collections and discuss how to create a custom creation field; discuss Choice fields, vocabularies, and their use with collections; and close with a look at the standard zope.app approach to using these fields to find views (“widgets”).
Scalars¶
Scalar fields represent simple. immutable Python types.
Bytes¶
zope.schema.Bytes fields contain binary data, represented
as a sequence of bytes.
Conversion from Unicode:
>>> from zope.schema import Bytes
>>> obj = Bytes(constraint=lambda v: b'x' in v)
>>> result = obj.fromUnicode(u" foo x.y.z bat")
>>> isinstance(result, bytes)
True
>>> str(result.decode("ascii"))
' foo x.y.z bat'
>>> obj.fromUnicode(u" foo y.z bat")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ConstraintNotSatisfied: foo y.z bat
ASCII¶
zope.schema.ASCII fields are a restricted form of
zope.schema.Bytes: they can contain only 7-bit bytes.
Validation accepts empty strings:
>>> from zope.schema import ASCII
>>> ascii = ASCII()
>>> empty = ''
>>> ascii._validate(empty)
and all kinds of alphanumeric strings:
>>> alphanumeric = "Bob\'s my 23rd uncle"
>>> ascii._validate(alphanumeric)
but fails with 8-bit (encoded) strings:
>>> umlauts = "Köhlerstraße"
>>> ascii._validate(umlauts)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidValue
BytesLine¶
zope.schema.BytesLine fields are a restricted form of
zope.schema.Bytes: they cannot contain newlines.
ASCIILine¶
zope.schema.BytesLine fields are a restricted form of
zope.schema.ASCII: they cannot contain newlines.
Float¶
zope.schema.Float fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python float.
Conversion from Unicode:
>>> from zope.schema import Float
>>> f = Float()
>>> f.fromUnicode("1.25")
1.25
>>> f.fromUnicode("1.25.6")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidFloatLiteral: invalid literal for float(): 1.25.6
Int¶
zope.schema.Int fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python int.
Conversion from Unicode:
>>> from zope.schema import Int
>>> f = Int()
>>> f.fromUnicode("1")
1
>>> f.fromUnicode("1.25.6")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidIntLiteral: invalid literal for int() with base 10: 1.25.6
Decimal¶
zope.schema.Decimal fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python decimal.Decimal.
Conversion from Unicode:
>>> from zope.schema import Decimal
>>> f = Decimal()
>>> import decimal
>>> isinstance(f.fromUnicode("1.25"), decimal.Decimal)
True
>>> float(f.fromUnicode("1.25"))
1.25
>>> f.fromUnicode("1.25.6")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDecimalLiteral: invalid literal for Decimal(): 1.25.6
Datetime¶
zope.schema.Datetime fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python datetime.datetime.
Date¶
zope.schema.Date fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python datetime.date.
TimeDelta¶
zope.schema.TimeDelta fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python datetime.timedelta.
Time¶
zope.schema.Time fields contain binary data, represented
as a a Python datetime.time.
Choice¶
zope.schema.Choice fields are constrained to values drawn
from a specified set, which can be static or dynamic.
Conversion from Unicode enforces the constraint:
>>> from zope.schema.interfaces import IFromUnicode
>>> from zope.schema.vocabulary import SimpleVocabulary
>>> from zope.schema import Choice
>>> t = Choice(
... vocabulary=SimpleVocabulary.fromValues([u'foo',u'bar']))
>>> IFromUnicode.providedBy(t)
True
>>> t.fromUnicode(u"baz")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ConstraintNotSatisfied: baz
>>> result = t.fromUnicode(u"foo")
>>> isinstance(result, bytes)
False
>>> print(result)
foo
By default, ValueErrors are thrown if duplicate values or tokens are passed in. If you are using this vocabulary as part of a form that is generated from non-pristine data, this may not be the desired behavior. If you want to swallow these exceptions, pass in swallow_duplicates=True when initializing the vocabulary. See the test cases for an example.
Text¶
By default NFC unicode normalization is enabled for zope.schema.Text.
Valid forms are ‘NFC’, ‘NFKC’, ‘NFD’, and ‘NFKD’.
To set the normalization form, use the parameter unicode_normalization when
creating the field. Set the parameter to a falsy value to disable unicode
normalization.
URI¶
zope.schema.URI fields contain native Python strings
(str), matching the “scheme:data” pattern.
Validation ensures that the pattern is matched:
>>> from zope.schema import URI
>>> uri = URI(__name__='test')
>>> uri.validate("http://www.python.org/foo/bar")
>>> uri.validate("DAV:")
>>> uri.validate("www.python.org/foo/bar")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidURI: www.python.org/foo/bar
Conversion from Unicode:
>>> uri = URI(__name__='test')
>>> uri.fromUnicode("http://www.python.org/foo/bar")
'http://www.python.org/foo/bar'
>>> uri.fromUnicode(" http://www.python.org/foo/bar")
'http://www.python.org/foo/bar'
>>> uri.fromUnicode(" \n http://www.python.org/foo/bar\n")
'http://www.python.org/foo/bar'
>>> uri.fromUnicode("http://www.python.org/ foo/bar")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidURI: http://www.python.org/ foo/bar
DottedName¶
zope.schema.DottedName fields contain native Python strings
(str), containing zero or more “dots” separating elements of the
name. The minimum and maximum number of dots can be passed to the
constructor:
>>> from zope.schema import DottedName
>>> DottedName(min_dots=-1)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ValueError: min_dots cannot be less than zero
>>> DottedName(max_dots=-1)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ValueError: max_dots cannot be less than min_dots
>>> DottedName(max_dots=1, min_dots=2)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ValueError: max_dots cannot be less than min_dots
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(max_dots=1, min_dots=1)
>>> from zope.interface.verify import verifyObject
>>> from zope.schema.interfaces import IDottedName
>>> verifyObject(IDottedName, dotted_name)
True
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(max_dots=1)
>>> dotted_name.min_dots
0
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(min_dots=1)
>>> dotted_name.max_dots
>>> dotted_name.min_dots
1
Validation ensures that the pattern is matched:
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(__name__='test')
>>> dotted_name.validate("a.b.c")
>>> dotted_name.validate("a")
>>> dotted_name.validate(" a")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDottedName: a
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(__name__='test', min_dots=1)
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b.c.d')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDottedName: ('too few dots; 1 required', 'a')
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(__name__='test', max_dots=0)
>>> dotted_name.validate('a')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDottedName: ('too many dots; no more than 0 allowed', 'a.b')
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(__name__='test', max_dots=2)
>>> dotted_name.validate('a')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b.c')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b.c.d')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDottedName: ('too many dots; no more than 2 allowed', 'a.b.c.d')
>>> dotted_name = DottedName(__name__='test', max_dots=1, min_dots=1)
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDottedName: ('too few dots; 1 required', 'a')
>>> dotted_name.validate('a.b.c')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidDottedName: ('too many dots; no more than 1 allowed', 'a.b.c')
Id¶
zope.schema.Id fields contain native Python strings
(str), matching either the URI pattern or a “dotted name”.
Validation ensures that the pattern is matched:
>>> from zope.schema import Id
>>> id = Id(__name__='test')
>>> id.validate("http://www.python.org/foo/bar")
>>> id.validate("zope.app.content")
>>> id.validate("zope.app.content/a")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidId: zope.app.content/a
>>> id.validate("http://zope.app.content x y")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidId: http://zope.app.content x y
Conversion from Unicode:
>>> id = Id(__name__='test')
>>> id.fromUnicode("http://www.python.org/foo/bar")
'http://www.python.org/foo/bar'
>>> id.fromUnicode(u" http://www.python.org/foo/bar ")
'http://www.python.org/foo/bar'
>>> id.fromUnicode("http://www.python.org/ foo/bar")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidId: http://www.python.org/ foo/bar
>>> id.fromUnicode(" \n x.y.z \n")
'x.y.z'
Collections¶
Normal fields typically describe the API of the attribute – does it behave as a Python Int, or a Float, or a Bool – and various constraints to the model, such as a maximum or minimum value. Collection fields have additional requirements because they contain other types, which may also be described and constrained.
For instance, imagine a list that contains non-negative floats and enforces uniqueness. In a schema, this might be written as follows:
>>> from zope.interface import Interface
>>> from zope.schema import List, Float
>>> class IInventoryItem(Interface):
... pricePoints = List(
... title=u"Price Points",
... unique=True,
... value_type=Float(title=u"Price", min=0.0)
... )
This indicates several things.
pricePoints is an attribute of objects that implement IInventoryItem.
The contents of pricePoints can be accessed and manipulated via a Python list API.
Each member of pricePoints must be a non-negative float.
Members cannot be duplicated within pricePoints: each must be must be unique.
The attribute and its contents have descriptive titles. Typically these would be message ids.
This declaration creates a field that implements a number of interfaces, among them these:
>>> from zope.schema.interfaces import IList, ISequence, ICollection
>>> IList.providedBy(IInventoryItem['pricePoints'])
True
>>> ISequence.providedBy(IInventoryItem['pricePoints'])
True
>>> ICollection.providedBy(IInventoryItem['pricePoints'])
True
Creating a custom collection field¶
Ideally, custom collection fields have interfaces that inherit appropriately
from either zope.schema.interfaces.ISequence or
zope.schema.interfaces.IUnorderedCollection. Most collection fields should be
able to subclass zope.schema._field.AbstractCollection to get the necessary
behavior. Notice the behavior of the Set field in zope.schema: this
would also be necessary to implement a Bag.
Choices and Vocabularies¶
Choice fields are the schema way of spelling enumerated fields and more. By providing a dynamically generated list of options, the choices available to a choice field can be contextually calculated.
Simple choices can directly specify the values they accept:
>>> from zope.schema import Choice
>>> f = Choice((640, 1028, 1600))
>>> f.validate(640)
>>> f.validate(960)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ConstraintNotSatisfied: 960
>>> f.validate('bing')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ConstraintNotSatisfied: bing
More complex choices will want to use vocabularies, possibly created
from a contextual vocabulary factory; this factory can either be
directly provided at construction time or named and looked up in a
registry at binding or validation time. Vocabularies have a simple
interface, as defined in zope.schema.interfaces.IBaseVocabulary. A
vocabulary must minimally be able to determine whether it contains a
value, to create a term object for a value, and to return a query
interface (or None) to find items in itself. Term objects are an
abstraction that wraps a vocabulary value.
Many applications that deal with accepting user input and validating
it against a choice may need a fuller vocabulary interface that
provides “tokens” on its terms: ASCII values that have a one-to-one
relationship to the values when the vocabulary is asked to
“getTermByToken”. If a vocabulary is small, it can also support the
zope.schema.interfaces.IIterableVocabulary interface.
zope.schema.vocabulary.SimpleVocabulary is a vocabulary
implementation that may do all you need for many simple tasks. The
vocabulary interface is simple enough that writing a custom vocabulary
is not too difficult itself.
See zope.schema.vocabulary.TreeVocabulary for another
IBaseVocabulary supporting vocabulary that provides a nested,
tree-like structure.
Vocabulary Factories¶
Sometimes the values for a choice really are dynamic. For example,
they might depend on the context object being validated. In that case,
we can provide an object that provides
zope.schema.interfaces.IContextSourceBinder as the source
parameter. When the Choice needs a vocabulary, it will call the
IContextSourceBinder, passing in its context. This could be as
simple as a function:
>>> from zope.schema.vocabulary import SimpleVocabulary
>>> from zope.schema.interfaces import IContextSourceBinder
>>> from zope.interface import directlyProvides
>>> def myDynamicVocabulary(context):
... v = range(context)
... return SimpleVocabulary.fromValues(v)
>>> directlyProvides(myDynamicVocabulary, IContextSourceBinder)
>>> f = Choice(source=myDynamicVocabulary)
Note that the source is only invoked for fields that have been bound to a context:
>>> f.validate(1)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
InvalidVocabularyError: Invalid vocabulary <function myDynamicVocabulary at 0x1101f7730>
>>> f = f.bind(3)
>>> f.validate(1)
>>> f.validate(2)
>>> f.validate(3)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ConstraintNotSatisfied: 3
Named (Registered) Vocabularies¶
We can also provide a vocabulary name that will be resolved later
against a registry of vocabulary factories (objects that implement
zope.schema.interfaces.IVocabularyFactory). On the surface,
this looks very similar to providing a source argument: they are
both callable objects that take a context and return a vocabulary. The
advantage of a named factory is a level of indirection, allowing the
same name to be easily used in many different fields, even from
packages that aren’t aware of each other. For example, an application
framework may define choices that use a ‘permissions’ vocabulary, and
individual applications may define their own meaning for that name.
A simple version of this is provided in this package using a global vocabulary registry:
>>> from zope.schema.vocabulary import SimpleVocabulary
>>> from zope.schema.vocabulary import getVocabularyRegistry
>>> from zope.schema.interfaces import IVocabularyFactory
>>> from zope.interface import implementer
>>> @implementer(IVocabularyFactory)
... class PermissionsVocabulary(object):
...
... def __call__(self, context):
... if context is None: raise AttributeError
... return SimpleVocabulary.fromValues(context.possible_permissions)
>>> getVocabularyRegistry().register('permissions', PermissionsVocabulary())
>>> class Context(object):
... possible_permissions = ('read', 'write')
Unlike IContextSourceBinder, the factory is invoked even for
unbound fields; depending on the factory, this may or may not do
anything useful (our factory produces errors):
>>> f = Choice(vocabulary='permissions')
>>> f.validate('read')
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
AttributeError
>>> context = Context()
>>> f = f.bind(context)
>>> f.validate("read")
>>> f.validate("write")
>>> f.validate("delete")
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ConstraintNotSatisfied: ('delete', '')
The zope.vocabularyregistry package provides a registry that keeps factories as named utilities in the Zope component architecture. This is especially useful when combined with the concept of multiple component site managers, as that provides another layer of indirection.
Choices and Collections¶
Choices are a field type and can be used as a value_type for collections. Just
as a collection of an “Int” value_type constrains members to integers, so a
choice-based value type constrains members to choices within the Choice’s
vocabulary. Typically in the Zope application server widgets are found not
only for the collection and the choice field but also for the vocabulary on
which the choice is based.
Using Choice and Collection Fields within a Widget Framework¶
While fields support several use cases, including code documentation and data description and even casting, a significant use case influencing their design is to support form generation – generating widgets for a field. Choice and collection fields are expected to be used within widget frameworks. The zope.app approach typically (but configurably) uses multiple dispatches to find widgets on the basis of various aspects of the fields.
Widgets for all fields are found by looking up a browser view of the field providing an input or display widget view. Typically there is only a single “widget” registered for Choice fields. When it is looked up, it performs another dispatch – another lookup – for a widget registered for both the field and the vocabulary. This widget typically has enough information to render without a third dispatch.
Collection fields may fire several dispatches. The first is the usual lookup by field. A single “widget” should be registered for ICollection, which does a second lookup by field and value_type constraint, if any, or, theoretically, if value_type is None, renders some absolutely generic collection widget that allows input of any value imaginable: a check-in of such a widget would be unexpected. This second lookup may find a widget that knows how to render, and stop. However, the value_type may be a choice, which will usually fire a third dispatch: a search for a browser widget for the collection field, the value_type field, and the vocabulary. Further lookups may even be configured on the basis of uniqueness and other constraints.
This level of indirection may be unnecessary for some applications, and can be
disabled with simple ZCML changes within zope.app.