parse2plone 0.8

Easily import static HTML files into Plone.

Parse2Plone is an HTML parser (in the form of a Buildout recipe that creates a script for you) you can use to easily get content from static HTML files on the file system into Plone.

Warning

This is a Buildout recipe for use with Plone. By itself it does nothing. If you do not know what Plone is, please see: http://plone.org. If you do not know what Buildout is, please see: http://www.buildout.org/.

Getting started

Because it always drives me nuts when you have to dig for a recipe’s options, here they are:

[import]
recipe = parse2plone
path = Plone
html_extensions = html
image_extensions = gif jpg jpeg png
target_tags = a div h1 h2 p
illegal_chars = _ .

The parameters listed are configured with their default values. Edit these if you would like to change the default behavior; they are (hopefully) self-explanatory. Now you can just cut and paste to get started or keep reading if you would like to know more.

Explanation

Why did you create Parse2Plone when the following packages (and probably many more) already exist:

• http://pypi.python.org/pypi/collective.transmogrifier

  • http://pypi.python.org/pypi/transmogrify.filesystem

  • http://pypi.python.org/pypi/transmogrify.htmlcontentextractor

Here are a few reasons:

• Because Parse2Plone is aimed at lowering the bar for folks who don’t already know (or want to know) what a “transmogrifier blueprint” is but can update their buildout.cfg file, run Buildout, and then run a single import command to import static content from the file system all without having to think very much.

• collective.transmogrify provides a framework for creating reusable pipes (whose definitions are called blueprints). Parse2Plone provides a single, non-reusable “pipe/blueprint”.

• The author had an itch to scratch; it will be nice for him to be able to say “just go write a script” and then point to an example.

Installation

You can install Parse2Plone by editing your buildout.cfg file like so:

• First, add an import section:

  [import]
  recipe = parse2plone

• Then, add the import section to the list of parts:

  [buildout]
  ...
  parts =
      ...
      import

• Now run bin/buildout as usual.

Execution

You can run Parse2Plone like so:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files

Demonstration

If you have a site in /var/www/html that contains the following:

/var/www/html/index.html
/var/www/html/about/index.html

You should run:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /var/www/html

And the following will be created:

• http://localhost:8080/Plone/index.html

• http://localhost:8080/Plone/about/index.html

Modification

Modifying the default behavior of parse2plone is easy; just use the command line options or add parameters to your buildout.cfg file. Both approaches allow customization of the same set of options, but the command line arguments will trump any settings found in your buildout.cfg file. The easiest way to modify settings is to edit your buildout.cfg file.

Buildout options

You can configure the following parameters in your buildout.cfg file.

Options

• path: Specify an alternate location for the Plone site object in the database.

• html_extensions: Specify HTML file extensions. parse2plone will import HTML files with these extensions.

• illegal_chars: Specify illegal characters. parse2plone will ignore files that contain these characters.

• image_extensions: Specify image file extensions. parse2plone will import image files with these extensions.

• target_tags: Specify target tags. parse2plone will parse the contents of HTML tags listed.

Example

Instead of accepting the default parse2plone behaviour, in your buildout.cfg file you may specify the following:

...
[import]
recipe = parse2plone
path = Plone2
html_extensions = htm
image_extensions = png
target_tags = p
...

This will configure parse2plone to (only) import content from:

• Images ending in .png

• HTML files ending in .htm

• Text within p tags

to:

• A Plone site object named Plone2.

Command line options

The following parse2plone command line options are supported.

Options

Path ('--path', '-p')

You can specify an alternate path to the Plone site object located within the database (‘/Plone’ by default) with --path or -p:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files --path=Plone2
$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files -p Plone2

HTML file extensions ('--html-extensions')

You can specify HTML file extensions with the --html-extensions option:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files --html-extensions=htm

Image file extensions ('--image-extensions')

You can specify image file extensions with the --image-extensions option:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files --image-extensions=png

Target tags ('--target-tags')

You can specify the target tags to parse with the --target-tags option:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files --target-tags=p

Example

Instead of accepting the default parse2plone behaviour, on the command line you may specify the following:

$ bin/plone run bin/import /path/to/files -p Plone2 --html-extensions=html \
    --image-extensions=png --target-tags=p

This will configure parse2plone to (only) import content from:

• Images ending in .png

• HTML files ending in .htm

• Text within p tags

to:

• A Plone site object named Plone2.

Consternation

Here are some trouble-shooting comments/tips.

Compiling lxml

Parse2Plone requires lxml which in turn requires libxml2 and libxslt. If you do not have lxml installed “globally” (i.e. in your system Python’s site-packages directory) then Buildout will try to install it for you. At this point lxml will look for the libxml2/libxslt2 development libraries to build against, and if you don’t have them installed on your system already your mileage may vary (i.e. Buildout will fail).

Database access

Before running parse2plone, you must either stop your Plone site or use ZEO. Otherwise parse2plone will not be able to access the database.

Communication

Questions, comments, or concerns? Email: [e-mail]

History

0.8 (10/27/2010)

• Support the importing of content to folders within the Plone site object

0.7 (10/25/2010)

• Documentation fixes

0.6 (10/25/2010)

• Support customization via recipe parameters and command line arguments

0.5 (10/22/2010)

• Revert ‘Add Plone to install_requires’

0.4 (10/22/2010)

• Add ‘Plone’ to install_requires

0.3 (10/22/2010)

• Another setuptools fix

0.2 (10/22/2010)

• Setuptools fix

0.1 (10/21/2010)

• Initial release