API for setting/getting values on Dexterity content

Hi there,

the following suggestion is based on former blog posts of mine, e.g.

https://www.andreas-jung.com/contents/bad-dexterity-application-design
https://www.andreas-jung.com/contents/copying-dexterity-fields-from-one-instance-to-another-instance

I clearly see a need for an API for safely setting and getting values
for Dexerity content that takes all aspects of behaviors into account.
In general: direct attribute access to on Dexterity instance was a nice
goal but in reality it is a broken and dangerous programming pattern in
Plone right now - unless the direct getting/setting of values through
direct attribute access can be fixed somehow (I think this is very hard).

The safest way would be to provide methods like

plone.api.content.set_value(obj, fieldname,  value)
value = plone.api.content.get_value(obj, fieldname)

as part of plone.api or through methods of the Dexterity base
classes Item and Container:

obj.set_value(fieldname, value)
value = obj.get_value(fieldname).

The method names are dust and smoke and could be named differently.

Any thoughts on the need for encapsulating the setting/getting of value?
Any thoughts where such an API would fit best (plone.api vs. base classes)?

-aj



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