NAME

Apache::Application::Magic - Apache/mod_perl integration for CGI::Application::Magic

VERSION 1.2

Included in CGI-Application-Plus 1.2 distribution.

The latest versions changes are reported in the Changes file in this distribution.

The distribution includes:

• CGI::Application::Plus

  CGI::Application rewriting with several pluses

• Apache::Application::Plus

  Apache/mod_perl integration for CGI::Application::Plus

• CGI::Application::Magic

  Template based framework for CGI applications

• Apache::Application::Magic

  Apache/mod_perl integration for CGI::Application::Magic

• CGI::Application::CheckRM

  Checks run modes using Data::FormValidator

INSTALLATION

Prerequisites

Apache/mod_perl 1 or 2
Perl version    >= 5.6.1
OOTools         >= 1.6
Template::Magic >= 1.0

CPAN

perl -MCPAN -e 'install CGI::Application::Plus'

If you want to install also all the prerequisites to use CGI::Application::Magic), all in one easy step:

perl -MCPAN -e 'install Bundle::Application::Magic'

Standard installation

From the directory where this file is located, type:

perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

SYNOPSIS

# use instead of CGI::Application::Magic
use base 'Apache::Application::Magic';

# direct interaction with the Apache request object
$r = $self->request ;
%headers = $r->headers_in ;

# Perl Side Include
# instead of using this link
http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/appScript.pl?rm=aMtFile

# you can use this
http://www.yourdomain.com/aMtFile.mhtml

DESCRIPTION

This module is a CGI::Application::Magic sub class that supply a perl handler to integrate your application modules with the Apache/mod_perl server.

The CGI::Application::Magic module is fully mod_perl 1 and 2 compatible, but the Apache::Application::Magic module supplies an easy implementation of a sort of "Perl Side Include" (sort of easier, more powerful and flexible "Server Side Include").

Note: most of the interesting reading of how organize your application module are in CGI::Application::Magic.

Perl Side Include

SSI (Server Side Includes) are directives that are placed in HTML pages, and evaluated on the server while the pages are being served. The Apache server uses the mod_include Apache module to process the pages, but you can configure it to process the pages by using your own Apache::Application::Magic based module, that can easily implement a lot of more custom 'directives' in the form of simple labels.

In other words: your own Apache::Application::Magic based module transparently process the pages of a web dir, supplying the dinamic content that will be included in the page just before they are served.

With this technique your application does not need to handle neither run modes, nor run methods, nor template managements: all that is auto-magically handled by the Apache::Application::Magic super class.

Please, take a look at the 'perl_side_include' example in this distribution to understand all the advantages offered by this technique.

No Instance Script needed

All the generic CGI applications (old, Plus and Magic), use an Instance Script to call the Application Module. The script is usually like this:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use MyWebApp;                   # the Application module
my $webapp = MyWebApp->new();   # create a new instance
$webapp->run();                 # run and produce the output page

With Apache::Application::Plus the Apache/mod_perl server will use the Application module directly (throug the perl handler supplied by this module), without the need of any Instance Script.

The Perl Handler

This module provide a mod_perl 1 and 2 compatible handler that internally creates and run() the Application object, after setting the following object properties:

• request

  This property is set to the Apache request object. Use it to interact directly with all the Apache/mod_perl internal methods.

• runmode

  The default runmode is set to the base name of the requested filename (e.g. being the requested filename /path/to/file.mhtml, the default runmode will be set to 'file'). This is an alternative and handy way to pass the runmode.

• tm_path

  The default tm_path property is set to the directory that contains the requested file.

• tm_suffix

  The default tm_suffix property is set to the suffix of the requested filename (e.g. being the requested filename /path/to/file.mhtml, the default tm_suffix will be set to '.mhtml').

• tm_template

  The default tm_template property is set to the runmode property plus the tm_suffix as usual, so with the tm_path property, the requested file will be used as the template.

Note: Usually you don't need to use neither the perl handler nor these properties, because they are all internally managed. Just write the lookup-related code in your application, and let the default do their job by ignoring them ;-).

How to pass the runmode

In a generic CGI Application the run mode usually comes from a query parameter or from code inside your application. Both ways are still working with this module, but you don't need to pass the runmode anymore: just link the template files toghether to have it automagically set.

Note: Remember that this technique utilize the default runmode. Default means that it is overridable by setting explicitly the runmode inside your code, or passing an explicit 'rm' query parameter. (i.e. if you want to use the provided default, you have just to avoid to set it explicitly).

Apache configuration

The Apache configuration for mod-perl 1 or 2 is extremely simple. In order to use e.g. your FooBar.pm Application module, you have to follow these steps:

1 tell mod_perl to load FooBar.pm

You can do this in several ways.

In the startup.pl file (or equivalent) you can simply add:

use FooBar () ;

or you can tell mod_perl to load it from inside any configuration files:

PerlModule FooBar

or if your FooBar.pm file is not in the mod_perl @INC this will work as well from any Apache configuration file:

PerlRequire /path/to/FooBar.pm

2 tell mod_perl to use it as a (response) handler

In .htaccess file

For mod_perl 1:

SetHandler perl-script
PerlHandler FooBar

For mod_perl 2:

SetHandler perl-script
PerlResponseHandler FooBar

Note: In order to use this module, the only difference between mod_perl 1 and 2 configuration, is the mod_perl handler name 'PerlHandler' that becomes 'PerlResponseHandler' for the version 2.

3 restrict its use to fit your needs

Use the Apache configuration sections Location, Directory, DirectoryMatch, Files, FilesMatch etc. to restrict the use of the handler (see also the Apache Directive documentation)

# example 1: httpd.conf
# only if runs under mod_perl
<IfModule mod_perl.c>
     PerlModule FooBar
     # limited to the dir /some/path
     <Directory /some/path>
         SetHandler perl-script
         PerlHandler FooBar
     </Directory>
</IfModule>

# example 2: /some/path/.htaccess file
# only if runs under mod_perl
<IfModule mod_perl.c>
     PerlModule FooBar
     # limited to all files '*.mhtml' in dir /some/path
     <Files ~ \.mhtml$>
        SetHandler perl-script
        PerlHandler FooBar
     </Files>
</IfModule>

Note: see also the /magic_examples/perl_side_include/.htaccess file in this distribution.

METHODS

This module adds just one method to the standard CGI::Application::Magic methods.

new_object()

This method initializes and returns the internal Apache::Application::Magic object. You can override it if you know what you are doing, or you can simply ignore it ;-).

Note: This method is here just if you need to override the way the module generates the object. Think about this method as it were an included Instance Script that creates the object by setting different properties and/or parameters. Anyway you have alternative methods to change the object properties, such as e.g. the setup() and cgiapp_init() methods.

PROPERTY ACCESSORS

This module adds just one property to the standard CGI::Application::Magic properties.

request

This property allows you to access the request Apache object.

SUPPORT and FEEDBACK

If you need support or if you want just to send me some feedback or request, please use this link: http://perl.4pro.net/?Apache::Application::Magic.

AUTHOR and COPYRIGHT

© 2004 by Domizio Demichelis.

cpanm CGI::Application::Plus

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install CGI::Application::Plus