Christopher Warner "So, it's not like the code is my brain; keep it"

Extending a default Plone Content Type commentary

So you want to extend a default Plone Archetype Content Type. You start saying to yourself, i'm actually recreating an event content-type why not just utilize Plones existing type. You know about archetypes.schemaextender [1]and are thinking to yourself. This is going to be a cake walk. I'll just adapt whatever content-type, lets say in my case ATEvent. You then waltz along saying to yourself let me reorder the schemata order. However, you can not do this. That sucks. Then you start thinking to yourself, maybe I shouldn't use archetypes.schemaextender. I mean, it's getting a little silly with all of these workarounds I'm doing for the most basic content-type stuff. It's obvious I want to do more than just add an option or two onto the main content type. Yeah that's the ticket i'll be adding new methods, browser views, candy, ponies, etc. So you decide that you will subclass one of the main plone Archetype content types and be happy. Unfortunately you then realize, you're basically copying the whole content type out of Plone and recreating it.

This is when a light bulb goes off even though it's ever so dim; you just need to make your own content-type. If you're lucky enough, you would of already did all the work like myself and will just need to continue on. The bright idea of you reusing Plone AT Content types for more than just a boolean option or some string material is just a dumb idea. Seriously, it's just a dumb idea.

You may still think it is a bright idea. I really mean it. It is not. Go ahead.. Try it. I'll wait........

See? Dumb idea. If you were smart and heeded this advice without trying it then you've just saved yourself a couple of hours worth of work. So when is it a good idea to use archetypes.schemaextender? Well if you need some minor annotation to an overall content type it makes sense. Usually information that you won't have to display readily or override views for. You know, like a boolean option that will trigger a subscriber or some such. Or some other tiny bit of stringfield information where it's just a tiny change and not much of the overall schema is being modified.  When you start talking about more than that, just go with your initial gut feeling and do your own thing. If you really want the functionality from the default Plone content type you can always rip it out and throw it into your own content-type.

Now today doesn't feel like such a waste. Cheers.

1. http://pypi.python.org/pypi/archetypes.schemaextender