[mapserver-users] generated dynamic .map files

[Stephen Lime]

Hi: Maps need to be on the same machine as the MapServer. Map files
are so central to the software it hasn't made that much sense (to me
anyway) to allow remote files, especially since data needs to be local
(in most cases) anyway. You can certainly customize a map file remotely.
You could easily write a wrapper script in perl or python to accept an
entire map file over the network and then run MapServer in response,
either the normal CGI or something in MapScript.

I would think with Zope you'd want to use the Python version of MapScript
and write components that way. You could also wrap calls to an external
MapServer. I'm starting to do this with custom JSP actions to make life
easier for my web staff.

Steve

Didier Georgieff wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'm in the process of using mapserver as maping tool with Zope as
> application server (we used to use ArcviewIMS).
>
> I tested around mapserver+apache (thanks to michael anderson for
> the help) and it's really a great(tm) product !
>
> Here is the question :
>
> Zope is a killer for all dynamic features, and i can see a lot done on
> the Zope side (again thanks to michael anderson for all the
> informations and help).
>
> But i have a problem understanding what can be done to generate
> "on the fly" map files when Zope server is on a different machine
> than mapserver (if it's on the same machine thay can share the
> ...map filesystem). Because in this case Zope can't write filesystem
> on the mapserver machine (and i don't want to allow ftp on the
> mapserver machine filesystem for security reasons)
>
> Reading thru the documentation i didn't understood for sure what
> can be done without a map file (all parameter in the request http
> thru get or put), or if it's possible to have a map file on a different
> machine than mapserver.
>
> If this can't be workaround, so my solution will need to have
> mapserver and Zope on the same machine so they can share the
> same .map file dynamically. But this will reduce the abilty to adapt
> to different architectures.
>
> Any help, tip, pointer, experience will be welcome.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> PS : Naturally all our developments will be open source.
>
> --
> Didier Georgieff
> Chef de projet technique SIT du Bas-Rhin
> tél : 03.88.76.78.35 - fax : 03.88.76.78.34
> email : didier.georgieff at agriculture.gouv.fr
> SIT du Bas-Rhin : http://www.bas-rhin.sit.gouv.fr
>
> Direction Régionale et Départementale
> de l'Agriculture et de la Forêt
> Cité Administrative - Entrée 24 - 14, rue du Maréchal Juin
> 67084 Strasbourg Cedex