3 Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Intro - Catalyst Tutorial - Part 1: Introduction
8 This is B<Part 1 of 10> for the Catalyst tutorial.
10 L<Tutorial Overview|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial>
20 L<Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::CatalystBasics>
24 L<More Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::MoreCatalystBasics>
28 L<Basic CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::BasicCRUD>
32 L<Authentication|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authentication>
36 L<Authorization|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authorization>
40 L<Debugging|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Debugging>
44 L<Testing|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Testing>
48 L<Advanced CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::AdvancedCRUD>
52 L<Appendices|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Appendices>
59 This tutorial provides a multi-part introduction to the Catalyst web
60 framework. It seeks to provide a rapid overview of many of its most
61 commonly used features. The focus is on the real-world best practices
62 required in the construction of nearly all Catalyst applications.
64 Although the primary target of the tutorial is users new to the Catalyst
65 framework, experienced users may wish to review specific sections (for
66 example, how to use DBIC for their model classes, how to add
67 authentication and authorization to an existing application, or form
70 You can obtain the code for all the tutorial examples from the
71 catalyst subversion repository by issuing the command:
73 svn co http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/tags/examples/Tutorial/MyApp/5.7/ CatalystTutorial
75 This will download the current code for each tutorial chapter in the
76 CatalystTutorial directory. Each example application directory has
77 the same name as the tutorial chapter.
79 B<These reference implementations are provided so that when you follow
80 the tutorial, you can use the code from the subversion repository to
81 ensure that your system is set up correctly, and that you have not
82 inadvertently made any typographic errors, or accidentally skipped
83 part of the tutorial.>
85 B<NOTE: You can use any Perl-supported OS and environment to run
86 Catalyst.> It should make little or no difference to Catalyst's
87 operation, B<but this tutorial has been written using Ubuntu 8.10>
88 because that represents a quick and easy for most people to try out
89 Catalyst with virtually zero setup time and hassles. Also, the tutorial
90 has been tested to work correctly with the versions of Catalyst and all
91 the supporting modules in Ubuntu 8.10 (see "VERSIONS AND CONVENTIONS
92 USED IN THIS TUTORIAL" below for the specific versions for some of the
93 key modules), so B<if you think you might be running into an issue
94 related to versions> (for example, a module changed its behavior in a
95 newer version or a bug was introduced), B<it might be worth giving
96 Ubuntu 8.10 a try>. See the "CATALYST INSTALLATION" section below for
99 If you're reading this manual online, you can download the example
100 program and all the necessary dependencies to your local machine by
101 installing the C<Task::Catalyst::Tutorial> distribution from CPAN:
103 cpan Task::Catalyst::Tutorial
105 This will also test to make sure the dependencies are working. If you
106 have trouble installing these, please ask for help on the #catalyst
107 IRC channel, or the Catalyst mailing list.
109 Subjects covered by the tutorial include:
115 A simple application that lists and adds books.
119 The use of L<DBIx::Class|DBIx::Class> (DBIC) for the model.
123 How to write CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) operations in
128 Authentication ("auth").
132 Role-based authorization ("authz").
136 Attempts to provide an example showing current (5.7XXX) Catalyst
137 practices. For example, the use of
138 L<Catalyst::Action::RenderView|Catalyst::Action::RenderView>,
139 DBIC, L<Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader|Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader>
140 with C<myapp.conf>, the use of C<lib/MyApp/Controller/Root.pm>
141 vs. C<lib/MyApp.pm>, etc.
145 The use of Template Toolkit (TT).
149 Useful techniques for troubleshooting and debugging Catalyst
154 The use of SQLite as a database (with code also provided for MySQL and
159 The use of L<HTML::FormFu|HTML::FormFu> for automated form processing
164 This tutorial makes the learning process its main priority. For
165 example, the level of comments in the code found here would likely be
166 considered excessive in a "normal project." Because of their contextual
167 value, this tutorial will generally favor inline comments over a
168 separate discussion in the text. It also deliberately tries to
169 demonstrate multiple approaches to various features (in general, you
170 should try to be as consistent as possible with your own production
173 Furthermore, this tutorial tries to minimize the number of controllers,
174 models, TT templates, and database tables. Although this does result in
175 things being a bit contrived at times, the concepts should be applicable
176 to more complex environments. More complete and complicated example
177 applications can be found in the C<examples> area of the Catalyst
178 Subversion repository at
179 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/>.
181 B<Note:> There are a variety of other introductory materials available
182 through the Catalyst web site and at
183 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/wiki/UserIntroductions> and
184 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/>.
187 =head1 VERSIONS AND CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL
189 This tutorial was built using the following resources. Please note that
190 you may need to make adjustments for different environments and
197 Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex)
205 Catalyst::Devel v1.07
215 The plugins used in this tutorial all have sufficiently stable APIs that
216 you shouldn't need to worry about versions. However, there could be
217 cases where the tutorial is affected by what version of plugins you
218 use. This tutorial has been tested against the following set of plugins:
224 Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication -- v0.10006
228 Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::ACL -- v0.08
232 Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::Roles -- v0.05
236 Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader -- v0.20
240 Catalyst::Plugin::Session -- v0.19
244 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::State::Cookie -- v0.09
248 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::Store::FastMmap -- v0.05
252 Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -- v0.08
256 Catalyst::Plugin::Static::Simple -- v0.20
262 B<NOTE:> You can check the versions you have installed with the
265 perl -ME<lt>mod_nameE<gt> -e '"print $E<lt>mod_nameE<gt>::VERSION\n"'
268 perl -MCatalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -e 'print "$Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace::VERSION\n"'
270 Since the web browser is being used on the same box where Perl and the
271 Catalyst development server is running, the URL of
272 C<http://localhost:3000> will be used (the Catalyst development server
273 defaults to port 3000). If you are running Perl on a different box than
274 where your web browser is located (or using a different port number via
275 the C<-p> I<port_number> option to the development server), then you
276 will need to update the URL you use accordingly.
280 Depending on the web browser you are using, you might need to hit
281 C<Shift+Reload> or C<Ctrl+Reload> to pull a fresh page when testing
282 your application at various points (see
283 L<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bypass_your_cache> for a comprehensive
284 list of options for each browser). Also, the C<-k> keepalive option
285 to the development server can be necessary with some browsers
286 (especially Internet Explorer).
291 =head1 CATALYST INSTALLATION
293 While the rough edges of Catalyst installation have been a problem in
294 the past, this is now mostly solved. Nonetheless, installing Catalyst
295 can be a little time consuming. Although a compelling strength of
296 Catalyst is that it makes use of many of the modules in the vast
297 repository that is CPAN, this can complicate the installation process.
298 However, there are a growing number of methods that can dramatically
299 ease this undertaking. Of these, the following are likely to be
300 applicable to the largest number of potential new users:
308 Given the popularity of Ubuntu and its ease of use, Ubuntu can be a
309 great way for newcomers to experiment with Catalyst. Because it is a
310 "live CD," you can simply boot from the CD, run a few commands, and you
311 should have a fully functional environment in which to do this tutorial
312 in a matter of minutes. B<The tutorial was fully tested to work under
313 Ubuntu 8.10. Although it SHOULD work under any Catalyst installation
314 method you might choose, it can be hard to guarantee this.>
320 Download Ubuntu 8.10 (aka, Intrepid Ibex) Desktop edition and boot from
321 the CD and/or image file, select your language, and then "Try Ubuntu
322 without any changes to your computer."
326 Open a terminal session (click "Applications" in the upper-left
327 corner, then "Accessories," then "Terminal").
331 Add the 'universe' repositories:
333 sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
335 And remove the comments from the lines under the comments about the
336 'universe' repositories.
343 sudo apt-get install libdbd-sqlite3-perl libcatalyst-perl libcatalyst-modules-perl libconfig-general-perl
345 Accept all of the dependencies. Done.
347 NOTE: If you are low on disk space after the above commands (use C<df />
348 to tell), you can free up some space with
349 C<sudo rm /var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb> (the Live CD uses memory for
350 disk space, so having a decent amount of memory will help). And,
351 while the instructions above mention the Live CD because that makes it
352 easy for people new to Linux, you can obviously also use one of the
353 options to install Ubuntu on your drive.
359 Matt Trout's C<cat-install>
361 Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
362 C<cat-install> can be a fairly painless way to get Catalyst up and
363 running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
364 cat-install>. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection and
365 your computer, it will probably take 30 to 60 minutes to install because
366 it downloads, makes, compiles, and tests every module. But this is an
367 excellent way to automate the installation of all the latest modules
368 used by Catalyst from CPAN.
381 The 2008 Advent Day 4 entry has more information on using OpenBSD
382 packages to quickly build a system:
383 L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/4>.
387 NetBSD Package Collection on Solaris
389 The 2008 Advent Day 15 entry has more information on using C<pkgsrc> and
390 NetBSD packages on Solaris:
391 L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/15|>.
397 You can get more information at
398 L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/7>
399 or L<Perl::Dist::CatInABox|Perl::Dist::CatInABox>.
404 Pre-Built VMWare Images
406 Under the VMWare community program, work is ongoing to develop a number
407 of VMWare images where an entire Catalyst development environment has
408 already been installed, complete with database engines and a full
409 complement of Catalyst plugins.
413 Frank Speiser's Amazon EC2 Catalyst SDK
415 There are currently two flavors of publicly available Amazon Machine
416 Images (AMI) that include all the elements you'd need to begin
417 developing in a fully functional Catalyst environment within minutes.
418 See L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>
425 For additional information and recommendations on Catalyst installation,
427 L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>.
429 B<NOTE:> Step-by-step instructions to replicate the environment on
430 which this tutorial was developed can be found at
431 L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4|Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4>.
432 Using these instructions, you should be able to build a complete CentOS
433 4.X server with Catalyst and all the plugins required to run this
439 This tutorial will primarily focus on SQLite because of its simplicity
440 of installation and use; however, modifications in the script required
441 to support MySQL and PostgreSQL will be presented in Appendix 2.
443 B<Note:> One of the advantages of the MVC design patterns is that
444 applications become much more database independent. As such, you will
445 notice that only the C<.sql> files used to initialize the database
446 change between database systems: the Catalyst code generally remains the
450 =head1 WHERE TO GET WORKING CODE
452 Each part of the tutorial has complete code available in the main
453 Catalyst Subversion repository (see the note at the beginning of each
454 part for the appropriate svn command to use). Additionally, the final
455 code through Part 8 of the tutorial is available as a ready-to-run
457 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp_Part8.tgz>.
458 The final code for other parts of the tutorial are available at:
459 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarballs_Per_Part/>.
462 B<NOTE:> You can run the test cases for the final code with the following
465 wget http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp_Part8.tgz
468 CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib t
473 Kennedy Clark, C<hkclark@gmail.com>
475 Please report any errors, issues or suggestions to the author. The
476 most recent version of the Catalyst Tutorial can be found at
477 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/Catalyst-Manual/5.70/trunk/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
479 Copyright 2006-2008, Kennedy Clark, under Creative Commons License
480 (L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/>).