[Rails] Re: [ANN] MenuEngine

[James Adam]

On 7/28/06, Michael Schuerig <michael at schuerig.de> wrote:
> If in an engine most
> of the engine-specific functionality goes unused, better make it a
> plugin.

This doesn't quite make sense, unfortunately. By this logic, if you're
not using most of the features of Rails, you should be coding up your
own application from CGI basics. If you're not making use of most of
the features of Ruby, then you *really* ought to be dropping down to
C...

... Obviously that's ridiculous. Rails (and Ruby) exist to make things
easier. The engines plugin exists to add some useful features to the
existing plugin mechanism, until such point (which may never come)
that they can be integrated into Rails itself. If using even one of
the tiny aspects that engines provides makes your life easier, then
you're welcome to do just that.

> As a rule of thumb I suggest to
> use the mechanism that results in a simpler component. So, if in a
> plugin you'd have to recreate the functionality already provided by the
> engine mechanism, then make it an engine instead. If in an engine most
> of the engine-specific functionality goes unused, better make it a
> plugin.

Alas, this doesn't make sense either. A simple component would take
advantage of existing functionality rather than reimplementing it. How
much functionality you use really isn't relevant to your rule of
thumb.

- james

p.s. Plugin development documentation is only weeks away - there'll be
more information here soon: http://www.informit.com/shortcuts

-- 
* J *
  ~