orbeon-xml-api

Orbeon (Forms) XML API for Python.

For information about Orbeon, see Orbeon homepage

Introduction

orbeon-xml-api is a Python package, which loads and transforms Orbeon Builder XML and Runner XML into usable Python objects. It's main aim is to provide easy access to a Form its controls/fields, also captured as Python objects, which makes this API very versatile and usable.

Notes about terms:

• "Builder" could be read/seen as "Builder Form"
• "Runner" could be read/seen as "Runner Form"
• "Control" could be read/seen as "Field"

Features

• Compatible with Python 2.7 (GitHub issue to support 3.3 and later)
• Constructor of the Builder and Runner class, only requires the XML and an optional language code for translations.
• Get a Runner object Control/Fields as a usable object, by the Pythonic attribute-getter (__getattr__)
• Get the value as Python object (e.g. DateTime object, dict) and attributes of a Runner Control/Field object, by Pythonic attribute-getter (__getattr__). Conversion of [Runner control-value to Python object][runner-control-value-to-python-object] e.g. DateTime, Boolean, Dict etc.
• Merging a Runner with a updates/changes in Builder. This results in a new Runner, which kept it's former controls and merged new controls from the Builder into it.
• Open source (MIT License)

Installation

The source code is currently hosted on GitHub at: https://github.com/bobslee/orbeon-xml-api

Binary installers for the latest released version are available at the Python package index

# PyPI
pip install orbeon-xml-api

Dependencies: lxml, xmltodict, xmlunittest

License

MIT

Contributing

All contributions, bug reports, bug fixes, documentation improvements, enhancements and ideas are welcome.

Usage examples

For more examples of usage, see the unit-tests.

>> from orbeon-xml-api import Builder, Runner
>>
# builder_xml is an Orbeon Builder XML document (text/string)
# runner_xml is an Orbeon Runner XML document (text/string)
>>
>> builder = Builder(builder_xml)
>> runner = Runner(builder, runner_xml)

# Text Field (control)
>> runner.form.firstname.label
'First Name'

# Raw XML value
>> print runner.form.firstname.raw_value
'Michelle'

# Value as Python string too
>> print runner.form.firstname.value
'Michelle'

# Date (control)
>> print runner.form.birthday.label
'Birthday'

# Raw XML
>> print runner.form.birthday.raw_value
'2009-10-16'

# Value as Python Date object
>> print runner.form.birthday.value
datetime.date(2009 10 16)

# Selection Checkboxes (control)
>> print runner.form.favorite_dishes.label
'Favorite dishes'

# Raw XML
>> print runner.form.favorite_dishes.raw_value
'mixgrill pizza sushi'

# Choices as Python dict (key => choice value, value => choice label)
>> print runner.form.favorite_dishes.choices
{'mixgrill': 'Mixed Grill, 'pizza': 'Pizza', 'sushi': 'Sushi'}

# Choices labels as Python list
>> print runner.form.favorite_dishes.choices_labels
['Mixed Grill, 'Pizza', 'Sushi']

# Choices values as Python list
>> print runner.form.favorite_dishes.choices_values
['grill, 'pizza', 'sushi']

Unit tests

nose

Currently with nose. Standard Python unittest crashes.

Install nose:

pip install nose

Run nosetests:

nosetests

nosetests tests/controls
nosetests tests.controls

nosetests tests/controls/test_input.py

Send nose STDOUT (pdb support):

nosetests -s

Performance tests (timers) - install nose-timer:

pip install nose-timer

nosetests --with-timer

Python unittest (currently crashes)

python -m unittest tests.test_builder
python -m unittest tests.test_runner