/ 
OpenPlugin-0.09
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/ OpenPlugin::Application

NAME

OpenPlugin::Application - A baseclass of CGI::Application, meant to help you create reusable web applications.

SYNOPSIS

# Example from OpenThought's Demo.pm

package Demo;
use base "OpenPlugin::Application";
sub setup {
    my $self = shift;
    $self->run_modes(
       'mode1' => 'init_demo',
       'mode2' => 'get_os_list',
       'mode3' => 'get_os_info',
    );
    $self->start_mode( 'mode1' );
    $self->mode_param('run_mode');
}
sub init_demo   { ... }
sub get_os_list { ... }
sub get_os_info { ... }
1;

# Example from OpenThought's demo.pl

#!/usr/bin/perl -wT
use strict;
my $r = shift;
my $demo = Demo->new( PARAMS {
                   config  => { src    => /path/to/OpenPlugin.conf },
                   request => { apache => $r },
});

$demo->run();

DESCRIPTION

OpenPlugin::Application is built on Jesse Erlbaum's popular CGI::Application module. OpenPlugin::Application is simply a subclass of CGI::Application. Jesse says the following about CGI::Application:

"CGI::Application is intended to make it easier to create sophisticated, reusable web-based applications. This module implements a methodology which, if followed, will make your web software easier to design, easier to document, easier to write, and easier to evolve."

How does it do this? Jesse goes on to say:

"The guiding philosophy behind CGI::Application is that a web-based application can be organized into a specific set of "Run-Modes." Each Run-Mode is roughly analogous to a single screen (a form, some output, etc.). All the Run-Modes are managed by a single "Application Module" which is a Perl module. In your web server's document space there is an "Instance Script" which is called by the web server"

The biggest difference between CGI::Application and OpenPlugin::Application is that query object they both use; one is designed to use CGI.pm, the other OpenPlugin. Generally speaking, everything in the <CGI::Application documentation|CGI::Application> still applies. Any differences will be noted in this document.

It is not necessary to use OpenPlugin::Application in order to build web applications using OpenPlugin. This plugin is meant to be for your convienence -- to help you structure you web applications in a manner which makes sense, and is reusable.

USAGE

Just like with CGI::Application, you first need to develop an "instance script". That is the .pl file which your browser will be requesting. An example of one might look like:

#!/usr/bin/perl -wT
use MyWebApp();

my $web_app = MyWebApp->new( PARAMS {
                   config => { src => /path/to/OpenPlugin.conf },
                 });
$web_app->run();

This script simply simply "uses" MyWebApp, your application module, and then calls the new constructor.

Notice that we're using the new() constructor to pass in parameters which OpenPlugin needs in order to initialize. OpenPlugin::Application will use those parameters to create a new OpenPlugin object.

So, in a case where you were using OpenPlugin's Apache (mod_perl) drivers, you might do something like the following:

#!/usr/bin/perl -wT
use MyWebApp();

my $r = shift;
my $web_app = MyWebApp->new( PARAMS {
                           config  => { src    => /path/to/OpenPlugin.conf },
                           request => { apache => $r },
                       });
$web_app->run();

By passing in the $r Apache object, the above enables OpenPlugin's Apache drivers to function properly.

Within the actual MyWebApp.pm module, the syntax should be identical to a typical module written in CGI::Application, with just a few exceptions:

  • OpenPlugin::Application, not CGI::Application

    The second line of the module will read use base "OpenPlugin::Application"; instead of use base "CGI::Application";.

  • OP() method

    A method called OP was created as an alias for query. You may use the two interchangably.

  • Use OpenPlugin's header/cookie plugins

    CGI::Application offers methods to handle headers for you. While these will work, I highly recommend using OpenPlugin's HttpHeader and Cookie plugins instead, these offer far more flexibility and functionality than do the ones provided with CGI::Application.

Here is an example of how you might build the MyWebApp application:

package MyWebApp;
use base 'OpenPlugin::Application';
use strict;

# This method is used to define what run_modes are available, and gives you an
# opportunity to do any other setup work, like initiating database connections
sub setup {
    my $self = shift;

    # Get the OpenPlugin object.  This is an alias for $self->query;
    my $OP = $self->OP;

    $self->start_mode('mode1');
    $self->run_modes(
            'mode1' => 'show_login_screen',
            'mode2' => 'do_login',
            'mode3' => '...'
    );

    # Connect to database using OpenPlugin's datasource plugin
    $self->param('mydbh' => $OP->datasource->connect('MyDataSourceName'));

    # Retrieve our session
    my $session_id = $OP->param->get_incoming( 'session_id' );
    $self->param('session' => $OP->session->fetch( $session_id ));
}

# This method is run after your run mode is finished executing
sub teardown {
    my $self = shift;
    my $OP   = $self->OP;

    # Disconnect when we're done
    #   (this is for example purposes only; often when running under mod_perl,
    #   you would not disconnect your datasources at the end of a request)

    $OP->datasource->disconnect('MyDataSourceName');
}

sub show_login_screen {
    my $self = shift;

    # Retrieves an HTML::Template object
    my $tmpl_obj = $self->load_tmpl('login_template.html');

    # Return the data we want sent to the browser
    return $tmpl_obj->output;
}

sub do_login {
    my $self = shift;
    my $OP   = $self->OP;
    my $tmpl_obj;

    my $username = $OP->param->get_incoming('username');
    my $password = $OP->param->get_incoming('password');

    # If the authentication was successful, set a cookie, then display a menu
    if( $OP->authenticate->authenticate( $username, $password )) {

        # Set a cookie
        $OP->cookie->set_outgoing({
                               name  => 'username',
                               value => $username,
                           });

        $tmpl_obj = $self->load_tmpl('menu_template.html');
    }

    # If the authentication was not successful, display an error message
    else {
        $tmpl_obj = $self->load_tmpl('error_template.html');
    }

    return $tmpl_obj->output;
}

BUGS

None known.

TO DO

Nothing known.

SEE ALSO

OpenPlugin, CGI::Application

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2001-2002 Eric Andreychek. All rights reserved.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

AUTHORS

Eric Andreychek <eric@openthought.net>