NAME

MooseX::Extended::Manual::Tutorial - Building a Better Moose

VERSION

version 0.31

GENESIS

MooseX::Extended is built on years of experience hacking on Moose and being the lead designer of the Corinna project to bring modern OO to the Perl language. We love Moose, but over the years, it's become clear that there are some problematic design choices. Further, Corinna is not yet in core as we write this (though the Perl Steering Committee has accepted it), so for now, let's see how far we can push the envelope. Interestingly, in some respects, MooseX::Extended offers more than the initial versions of Corinna (though this won't last).

BEST PRACTICES

MooseX::Extended has the philosophy of providing best practices, but not enforcing them. We try to make many best practices the default, but you can opt out of them. For more background, see the article Common Problems in Object-Oriented Code. That's what lead to the creation of MooseX::Extended.

In particular, it's designed to make large-scale OOP systems written in Moose easier to maintain by removing many common failure modes, while still allowing you full control over what features you do and do not want.

What follows is a fairly decent overview of MooseX::Extended. See the documentation of individual modules for more information.

What's the Point.pm?

Let's take a look at a simple Point class in Moose. We want it to have x/y coordinates, and the creation time as "seconds from epoch". We'd also like to be able to "invert" points.

package My::Point {
    use Moose;
    has 'x'       => ( is => 'rw', isa => 'Num', writer  => 'set_x' );
    has 'y'       => ( is => 'rw', isa => 'Num', writer  => 'set_y' );
    has 'created' => ( is => 'ro', isa => 'Int', default => sub {time} );

    sub invert {
        my $self = shift;
        my ( $x, $y ) = ( $self->x, $self->y );
        $self->set_x($y);
        $self->set_y($x);
    }
}

1;

To the casual eye, that looks fine, but there are already many issues with the above.

The class is not immutable

You almost always want to end your Moose classes with __PACKAGE__->meta->make_immutable. Doing this causes Moose to close the class definition for modifications (if that doesn't make sense, don't worry about it), and speeds up the code considerably.
Dirty namespace

Currently, My::Point->can('has') returns true, even though has should not be a method. This, along with a bunch of other functions exported into your class by Moose, can mislead your code and confuse your method resolution order. For this reason, it's generally recommended that you use namespace::autoclean or namespace::clean. To remove those functions from your class.
Unknown constructor arguments
```
my $point = My::Point->new( X => 3, y => 4 );
```
In the above, the first named argument should be x, not X. Moose simply throws away unknown constructor arguments. One way to handle this might be to set your fields as required:
```
has 'x' => ( is => 'rw', isa => 'Num', writer  => 'set_x', required => 1 );
has 'x' => ( is => 'rw', isa => 'Num', writer  => 'set_y', required => 1 );
```
That causes My::Point->new( X => 3, y => 4 ) to throw an exception, but not this: My::Point->new( x => 3, y => 4, z => 5 ). For this trivial example, it's probably not a big deal, but for a large codebase, where many Moose classes might have a huge variety of confusing arguments, it's easy to make mistakes.

For this, we recommend MooseX::StrictConstructor. Unknown arguments are fatal.
Innappropriate constructor arguments
```
my $point = My::Point->new( x => 3, y => 4, created => 42 );
```
The above works, but the author of the class almost certainly didn't intend for you to be passing created to the constructor, but to the programmer reading the code, that's not always clear:
```
has 'created' => ( is => 'ro', isa => 'Int', default => sub {time} );
```
The fix for this is to add init_arg => undef to the attribute definition and hope the maintenance programmer notices this:
```
has 'created' => ( is => 'ro', isa => 'Int', init_arg => undef, default => sub {time} );
```
Misspelled types

What if created was defined like this?
```
has 'created' => ( is => 'ro', isa => 'int', default => sub {time} );
```
The type constraint is named Int, not int. You won't find out about that little issue until runtime. There are a number of ways of dealing with this, but we recommend the Type::Tiny family of type constraints. Misspelling a type name becomes a compile-time failure:
```
use Types::Standard 'Int';
has 'created' => ( is => 'ro', isa => Int, default => sub {time} );
```
No signatures

Let's look at our method:
```
sub invert {
    my $self = shift;
    my ( $x, $y ) = ( $self->x, $self->y );
    $self->set_x($y);
    $self->set_y($x);
}
```
What if someone were to write $point->invert( 4, 7 )? That wouldn't make any sense, but it also wouldn't throw an exception or even a warning, despite it obviously not being what the programmer wanted. The simplest solution is to just use signatures:
```
use feature 'signatures';
no warnings 'experimental::signatures'; # 5.34 and below

sub invert ($self) { ... }
```

Fixing our Moose class

Taking all of the above into consideration, we might rewrite our Moose class as follows:

package My::Point {
    use Moose;
    use MooseX::StrictConstructor;
    use Types::Standard qw(Num Int);
    use feature 'signatures';
    no warnings 'experimental::signatures';
    use namespace::autoclean;

    has 'x'       => ( is => 'rw', isa => Num, writer  => 'set_x' );
    has 'y'       => ( is => 'rw', isa => Num, writer  => 'set_y' );
    has 'created' => ( is => 'ro', isa => Int, init_arg => undef, default => sub {time} );

    sub invert ($self) {
        my ( $x, $y ) = ( $self->x, $self->y );
        $self->set_x($y);
        $self->set_y($x);
    }

    __PACKAGE__->meta->make_immutable;
}

1;

That's a lot of boilerplate for a simple x/y point class! Out of the box (but almost completely customisable), MooseX::Extended provides the above for you.

package My::Point {
    use MooseX::Extended types => [qw/Num Int/];

    param [ 'x', 'y' ] => ( is => 'rw', isa => Num, writer => 1 );
    field 'created'    => ( isa => Int, lazy => 0, default => sub {time} );

    sub invert ($self) {
        my ( $x, $y ) = ( $self->x, $self->y );
        $self->set_x($y);
        $self->set_y($x);
    }
}

No need use those various modules. No need to declare the class immutable or end it with a true value (MooseX::Extended does these for you). Instead of remembering a bunch of boilerplate, you can focus on writing your code.

INSTANCE ATTRIBUTES

In the Moose world, we use the has function to declare an "attribute" to hold instance data for your class. This function is still available, unchanged in MooseX::Extended, but two new functions are now introduced, param and field, which operate similarly to has. Both of these functions default to is => 'ro', so that may be omitted if the attribute is read-only.

A param is a required parameter (defaults may be used). A field is not intended to be passed to the constructor (but see the extended explanation below). This makes it much easier for a developer, either writing or reading the code, to be clear about the intended class interface.

So instead of this (and having the poor maintenance programmer wondering what is and is not allowed in the constructor):

has name     => (...);
has uuid     => (...);
has id       => (...);
has backlog  => (...);
has auth     => (...);
has username => (...);
has password => (...);
has cache    => (...);
has this     => (...);
has that     => (...);

You have this:

param name     => (...);
param backlog  => (...);
param auth     => (...);
param username => (...);
param password => (...);

field cache    => (...);
field this     => (...);
field that     => (...);
field uuid     => (...);
field id       => (...);

Now the interface is much clearer.

`param`

param name => ( isa => NonEmptyStr );

A similar function to Moose's has. A param is required. You may pass it to the constructor, or use a default or builder to supply this value.

The above param definition is equivalent to:

has name => (
    is       => 'ro',
    isa      => NonEmptyStr,
    required => 1,
);

If you want a parameter that has no default or builder and can optionally be passed to the constructor, just use required => 0.

param title => ( isa => Str, required => 0 );

Note that param, like field, defaults to read-only, is => 'ro'. You can override this:

param name => ( is => 'rw',  isa => NonEmptyStr );
# or
param name => ( is => 'rwp', isa => NonEmptyStr ); # adds _set_name

Otherwise, it behaves like has. You can pass in any arguments that has accepts.

# we'll make it private, but allow it to be passed to the constructor
# as `name`
param _name   => ( isa => NonEmptyStr, init_arg => 'name' );

The param's is option accepts rwp, like Moo. It will create a writer in the name _set_${attribute_name|.

`field`

field cache => (
    isa     => InstanceOf ['Hash::Ordered'],
    default => sub { Hash::Ordered->new },
);

A similar function to Moose's has. A field is not intended to be passed to the constructor, but you can still use default or builder, as normal.

The above field definition is equivalent to:

has cache => (
    is       => 'ro',
    isa      => InstanceOf['Hash::Ordered'],
    init_arg => undef,        # not allowed in the constructor
    default  => sub { Hash::Ordered->new },
    lazy     => 1,
);

Note that field, like param, defaults to read-only, is => 'ro'. You can override this:

field some_data => ( is => 'rw',  isa => NonEmptyStr );
#
field some_data => ( is => 'rwp', isa => NonEmptyStr ); # adds _set_some_data

Otherwise, it behaves like has. You can pass in any arguments that has accepts.

The field's is option accepts rwp, like Moo. It will create a writer in the name _set_${attribute_name|.

If you pass field an init_arg with a defined value, the code will usually throw a Moose::Exception::InvalidAttributeDefinition exception. However, if the init_arg begins with an underscore, it's allowed. This is designed to allow developers writing tests to supply their own values more easily.

field cache => (
    isa      => InstanceOf ['Hash::Ordered'],
    default  => sub { Hash::Ordered->new },
    init_arg => '_cache',
);

With the above, you can pass _cache => $my_testing_cache in the constructor.

A field is automatically lazy if it has a builder or default. This is because there's no guarantee the code will call them, but this makes it very easy for a field to rely on a param value being present. It's a common problem in Moose that attribute initialization order is alphabetical order and if you define an attribute whose default or builder relies on another attribute, you have to remember to name them correctly or declare the field as lazy.

Note that is does mean if you need a field to be initialized at construction time, you have to take care to declare that it's not lazy:

field created => ( isa => PositiveInt, lazy => 0, default => sub {time} );

In our opinion, this tiny little nit is a fair trade-off for this issue:

package Person {
    use Moose;

    has name  => ( is => 'ro', required => 1 );
    has title => ( is => 'ro', required => 0 );
    has full_name => (
        is      => 'ro',
        default => sub {
            my $self  = shift;
            my $title = $self->title;
            my $name  = $self->name;
            return defined $title ? "$title $name" : $name;
        },
    );
}

my $person = Person->new( title => 'Doctor', name => 'Who' );
say $person->title;
say $person->full_name;

The code looks fine, but it doesn't work. In the above, $person->full_name is always undefined because attributes are processed in alphabetical order, so the full_name default code is run before name or title is set. Oops! Adding lazy => 1 to the full_name attribute definition is required to make it work.

Here's the same code for MooseX::Extended. It works correctly:

package Person {
    use MooseX::Extended;

    param 'name';
    param 'title' => ( required => 0 );

    field full_name => (
        default => sub {
            my $self  = shift;
            my $title = $self->title;
            my $name  = $self->name;
            return defined $title ? "$title $name" : $name;
        },
    );
}

Note that param is not lazy by default, but you can add lazy => 1 if you need to.

NOTE: We were sorely tempted to change attribute field definition order from alphabetical to declaration order, as that would also solve the above issue (and might allow for deterministic destruction), but we decided to play it safe.

Attribute shortcuts

When using field or param (but not has), we have some attribute shortcuts:

param name => (
    isa       => NonEmptyStr,
    writer    => 1,   # set_name
    reader    => 1,   # get_name
    predicate => 1,   # has_name
    clearer   => 1,   # clear_name
    builder   => 1,   # _build_name
);

sub _build_name ($self) {
    ...
}

These should be self-explanatory, but see MooseX::Extended::Manual::Shortcuts for a full explanation.

EXCLUDING FEATURES

You may find some features to be annoying, or even cause potential bugs (e.g., if you have a croak method, our importing of Carp::croak will be a problem.

For example, if you wish to eliminate MooseX::StrictConstructor and the carp and croak behavior:

use MooseX::Extended excludes => [qw/StrictConstructor carp/];

You can exclude the following:

StrictConstructor
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['StrictConstructor'];
```
Excluding this will no longer import MooseX::StrictConstructor.
autoclean
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['autoclean'];
```
Excluding this will no longer import namespace::autoclean.
c3
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['c3'];
```
Excluding this will no longer apply the C3 mro.
carp
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['carp'];
```
Excluding this will no longer import Carp::croak and Carp::carp.
immutable
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['immutable'];
```
Excluding this will no longer make your class immutable.
true
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['true'];
```
Excluding this will require your module to end in a true value.
param
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['param'];
```
Excluding this will make the param function unavailable.
field
```
use MooseX::Extended::Role excludes => ['field'];
```
Excluding this will make the field function unavailable.

TYPES

We bundle MooseX::Extended::Types to make it easier to have compile-time type checks, along with type checks in functions. Here's a silly example:

package Not::Corinna {
    use MooseX::Extended types => [qw(compile Num NonEmptyStr ArrayRef)];
    use List::Util ();

    # these default to 'ro' (but you can override that) and are required
    param _name => ( isa => NonEmptyStr, init_arg => 'name' );
    param title => ( isa => NonEmptyStr, required => 0 );

    # fields must never be passed to the constructor
    # note that ->title and ->name are guaranteed to be set before
    # this because fields are lazy by default
    field name => (
        isa     => NonEmptyStr,
        default => sub ($self) {
            my $title = $self->title;
            my $name  = $self->_name;
            return $title ? "$title $name" : $name;
        },
    );

    sub add ( $self, $args ) {
        state $check = compile( ArrayRef [ Num, 1 ] );
        ($args) = $check->($args);
        return List;:Util::sum( $args->@* );
    }
}

See MooseX::Extended::Types for more information.

ASSEMBLING YOUR OWN MOOSE

After you get used to MooseX::Extended, you might get tired of exchanging the old boilerplate for new boilerplate. So don't do that. Instead, create your own.

Define your own version of MooseX::Extended:

package My::Moose::Role {
    use MooseX::Extended::Role::Custom;

    sub import {
        my ( $class, %args ) = @_;
        MooseX::Extended::Role::Custom->create(
            excludes => [qw/ carp /],
            includes => ['multi'],
            %args    # you need this to allow customization of your customization
        );
    }
}

# no need for a true value

And then use it:

package Some::Class::Role {
    use My::Moose::Role types => [qw/ArrayRef Num/];

    param numbers => ( isa => ArrayRef[Num] );

    multi sub foo ($self)       { ... }
    multi sub foo ($self, $bar) { ... }
}

See MooseX::Extended::Custom for more information.

ROLES

Of course we support roles. Here's a simple role to add a created field to your class:

package Not::Corinna::Role::Created {
    use MooseX::Extended::Role types => ['PositiveInt'];

    # mark it as non-lazy to ensure it's run at construction time
    field created => ( isa => PositiveInt, lazy => 0, default => sub {time} );
}

And then consume like you would any other role:

package My::Class {
    use MooseX::Extended types => [qw(compile Num NonEmptyStr Str PositiveInt ArrayRef)];

    with qw(Not::Corinna::Role::Created);

    ...
}

See MooseX::Extended::Role for information about what features it provides and how to adjust its behavior.

MIGRATING FROM MOOSE

For a clean Moose hierarchy, switching to MooseX::Extended is often as simple at replacing Moose with MooseX::Extended and running your tests. Then you can start deleting various bits of boilerplate in your code (such as the make_immutable call).

Unfortunately, many Moose hierarchies are not clean. You might fail on the StrictConstructor, or find that you use multiple inheritance and rely on dfs (depth-first search) instead of the C3 mro, or maybe (horrors!), you have classes that aren't declared as immutable and you have code that relies on this. A brute-force approach to handling this could be the following:

package My::Moose {
    use MooseX::Extended::Custom;

    sub import {
        my ( $class, %args ) = @_;
        MooseX::Extended::Custom->create(
            excludes => [qw/
                StrictConstructor autoclean 
                c3                carp
                immutable         true
                field             param
            /],
            %args    # you need this to pass your own import list
        );
    }
}
# no need for a true value

With the above, you've excluded almost everything except signatures and postderef features (we will work on getting around that limitation). From there, you can replace Moose with My::Moose (and do something similar with roles) and it should just work. Then, start slowing deleting the items from excludes until your tests fail and address them one-by-one.

MOOSE INTEROPERABILITY

Moose and MooseX::Extended should be 100% interoperable. Let us know if it's not.

VERSION COMPATIBILITY

We use GitHub Actions to run full continuous integration tests on versions of Perl from v.5.20.0 and up. We do not release any code that fails any of those tests.

AUTHOR

Curtis "Ovid" Poe <curtis.poe@gmail.com>

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This is free software, licensed under:

The Artistic License 2.0 (GPL Compatible)

To install MooseX::Extended, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.

cpanm

cpanm MooseX::Extended

CPAN shell

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install MooseX::Extended

For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.

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