glossary updates

[catagits/Reaction.git] / lib / Reaction / Manual / Glossary.pod

=head1 NAME

Reaction::Manual::Glossary - Terms and Definitions used in Reaction

=head1 GLOSSARY


=head3 Controller

Reaction controllers are extended L<Catalyst> controllers. The controllers coordinate
L</Interface Model> access and actions with the view logic in your L</ViewPort>s.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::UI::Controller>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::Controller::Root>

=back


=head3 Domain Model

This is the implementation of your business logic. An example would be a L<DBIx::Class> schema
providing you with collections, objects and relationships.

Your Domain Model will interface with Reaction through an L</Interface Model>. Therefore your
domain model itself can and should be decoupled from your Reaction application.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Overview>

=back


=head3 Focus Stack

Whenever you push a L</ViewPort> in your controller, you are pushing it onto the Focus Stack.
When the root window (containing the root Focus Stack) is flushed by Reaction at the end
of the request, the ViewPorts' L</Widget>s will be rendered inside each other.

A typical example would be a L<SiteLayout|Reaction::UI::ViewPort::SiteLayout> ViewPort
being pushed onto the Focus Stack by your root action. A 
L<CRUD|Reaction::UI::Controller::Collection::CRUD> controller would then, if its list action
was requested, push a L<ListView|Reaction::UI::ViewPort::ListView> ViewPort. On flushing, 
the ListView will be rendered inside the SiteLayout.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::UI::FocusStack>

=back


=head3 Interface Model

Provides a standardized way for the application to interact with the 
L</Domain Model>s. It does this by providing objects, collections and actions.

A CRUD capable interface model can be generated from a L<DBIx::Class> schema on-the-fly via
L<Reaction::InterfaceModel::Reflector::DBIC>.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Overview>

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Tutorial>

=item * L<Reaction::InterfaceModel::Object>

=item * L<Reaction::InterfaceModel::Collection>

=item * L<Reaction::InterfaceModel::Action>

=back


=head3 Layout

Defines how a L</Widget> fragment is rendered. They are organized in L</LayoutSet>s. Its 
arguments are provided by the Widget the LayoutSet specified.

Layout fragments reference other fragments and can be overridden or wrapped when the
LayoutSet is an extension of another.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Templates>

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=back


=head3 LayoutSet

Contains L</Layout>s. A LayoutSet is specified (or autodiscovered) for any
L</ViewPort>. It determines which L</Widget> to use as the functional part used to
render the ViewPort. A LayoutSet can also extend on another LayoutSet. With this,
L</Layout>s of the parent can be modified. This allows for very fine-grained control
when developing different L<Skin>s.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Overview>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::LayoutSet>

=back


=head3 ListView

The ListView L</Widget>, L</ViewPort> and L</LayoutSet> group
allows you to render an L</Interface Model> collection as a table.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::UI::ViewPort::ListView>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::Widget::ListView>

=item * L<Reaction::InterfaceModel::Collection>

=back


=head3 MVC

Model-View-Controller - a high-level software design pattern, which focuses on separation of 
concerns.  For details on MVC, try here, here, and here.  Reaction is an extended MVC system; 
it uses a two-layer Model (the Interface Model, with the Domain Model below it).  Views are 
implemented by DOCTODO.  Controllers are represented by DOCTODO.


=head3 Observer

DOCTODO: A software design pattern in which one 


=head3 RenderingContext

The context in which the L</Widget>'s rendering via the L</LayoutSet> will be done. A typical
example would be a L<Template Toolkit|Template> LayoutSet being used to render a
L</Widget> in the L<Reaction::UI::RenderingContext::TT> context.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::RenderingContext>

=back


=head3 Role

A particular interface that a class implements.  Here, Role is used in the sense of Moose::Role; 
this same concept is sometimes called a Mix-In Class or a Decorator pattern.

=over

=item * L<Moose>

=item * L<Moose::Role>

=back


=head3 Skin

A Skin usually contains L</LayoutSet>s and files for static delivery. Since Skins are extendable
and can be switched by configuration, they allow easy customization of your application's
look and feel.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::Skin>

=back


=head3 View

In Reaction, the View modules handle rendering the ViewPort. ViewPorts are the V in MVC.

Technically, the View creates the L</RenderingContext> and finds the L</LayoutSet>s via the
L</ViewPort>s and L</Widget>s from the LayoutSets that are required to render your page.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::View>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::View::TT>


=back

=head3 ViewPort

Represents a part of your web pages output. Your application creates a page by stacking
ViewPorts referencing your L</Interface Model>s inside another. To each ViewPort belongs a 
L</LayoutSet>, which will determine the layout and type of the L</Widget>s rendering your page.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::ViewPort>

=back


=head3 Widget

The functionality needed to render a part of your page. The Widget that is used
is determined by the L</LayoutSet>, which is in turn determined by the L</ViewPort>.

The Widget organizes the layouts contained in the LayoutSet and provides them with 
data to render.

=over

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::RenderPage>

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Widgets>

=item * L<Reaction::UI::Widget>

=back


=head1 SEE ALSO

Please refer to these documents for further and more general information:

=over 

=item * L<Reaction::Manual>

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Overview>

=item * L<Reaction::Manual::Intro>

=back

=head1 AUTHORS

See L<Reaction::Class> for authors.

=head1 LICENSE

See L<Reaction::Class> for the license.

=cut