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diff --git a/includes/filerepo/README b/includes/filerepo/README new file mode 100644 index 00000000..03cb8b3b --- /dev/null +++ b/includes/filerepo/README @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Some quick notes on the file/repository architecture. + +Functionality is, as always, driven by data model. + +* The repository object stores configuration information about a file storage + method. + +* The file object is a process-local cache of information about a particular + file. + +Thus the file object is the primary public entry point for obtaining information +about files, since access via the file object can be cached, whereas access via +the repository should not be cached. + +Functions which can act on any file specified in their parameters typically find +their place either in the repository object, where reference to +repository-specific configuration is needed, or in static members of File or +FileRepo, where no such configuration is needed. + +File objects are generated by a factory function from the repository. The +repository thus has full control over the behaviour of its subsidiary file +class, since it can subclass the file class and override functionality at its +whim. Thus there is no need for the File subclass to query its parent repository +for information about repository-class-dependent behaviour -- the file subclass +is generally fully aware of the static preferences of its repository. Limited +exceptions can be made to this rule to permit sharing of functions, or perhaps +even entire classes, between repositories. + +These rules alone still do lead to some ambiguity -- it may not be clear whether +to implement some functionality in a repository function with a filename +parameter, or in the file object itself. + +So we introduce the following rule: the file subclass is smarter than the +repository subclass. The repository should in general provide a minimal API +needed to access the storage backend efficiently. + +In particular, note that I have not implemented any database access in +LocalRepo.php. LocalRepo provides only file access, and LocalFile provides +database access and higher-level functions such as cache management. + +Tim Starling, June 2007 |