[Modus-devs] dumb vs. smart fields

[Nathan D. <na...@ch...>]

It seems we are perhaps heading down a road that is lowering the value-add
of Modus.  Perhaps I'm not getting it, though ;)

If an object instance is basically just a struct that is created based on
XML descriptor which does nothing more than define data types for "fields",
and I then need to create UDF libraries to accomplish basic tasks, I am not
sure we're getting much that can't be done by just having database tables in
the first place.

Here's my real concern:  I haven't figured out how to have something like a
"webImage" field in a "dumb" field set up.  That is, right now in the
modusTest application I can have an image and it takes no more work than
having a piece of text -- that is powerful from a development standpoint.
What would that look like in the set up you are suggesting?

I'm also a little concerned about the complexity with having the end
developer needing to pass around the XML descriptors to base components.  I
rather like the notion that someone can define a press release, and the
person who is going to use the press release needs to know only the most
basic Modus API (ie: pressRelease.getField("title").toHTML()) to make
functional pages.  Though, y'all clearly are more experienced in the OO
design patterns than I am, I just want to make sure a developer doesn't need
to know much about that to be productive in Modus.  But, I'm a worrier ;)

 - n