3 Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Intro - Catalyst Tutorial - Part 1: Introduction
8 This is B<Part 1 of 9> of the Catalyst Tutorial.
10 L<Tutorial Overview|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial>
20 L<Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::CatalystBasics>
24 L<Basic CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::BasicCRUD>
28 L<Authentication|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authentication>
32 L<Authorization|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authorization>
36 L<Debugging|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Debugging>
40 L<Testing|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Testing>
44 L<Advanced CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::AdvancedCRUD>
48 L<Appendices|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Appendices>
54 This tutorial provides a multipart introduction to the Catalyst web
55 framework. It seeks to provide a rapid overview of many of its most
56 commonly used features. The focus is on the real-world best practices
57 required in the construction of nearly all Catalyst applications.
59 Although the primary target of the tutorial is users new to the Catalyst
60 framework, experienced users may wish to review specific sections (for
61 example, how to use DBIC for their model classes or how to add
62 authentication and authorization to an existing application).
64 You can obtain the code for all the tutorial examples from the
65 catalyst subversion repository by issuing the command:
67 svn co http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/tags/examples/Tutorial/MyApp/5.7/ CatalystTutorial
69 This will download the current code for each tutorial chapter in the
70 CatalystTutorial directory. Each example application directory has
71 the same name as the tutorial chapter.
73 B<These reference implementations are provided so that when you follow
74 the tutorial, you can use the code from the subversion repository to
75 ensure that your system is set up correctly, and that you have not
76 inadvertently made any typographic errors, or accidentally skipped
77 part of the tutorial.>
79 Additionally, if you're reading this manual online, you can download
80 the example program and all the necessary dependencies to
81 your local machine by installing the C<Task::Catalyst::Tutorial>
82 distribution from CPAN:
84 cpan Task::Catalyst::Tutorial
86 This will also test to make sure the dependencies are working. If you
87 have trouble installing these, please ask for help on the #catalyst
88 IRC channel, or the Catalyst mailing list.
90 Subjects covered include:
96 A simple application that lists and adds books.
100 The use of L<DBIx::Class|DBIx::Class> (DBIC) for the model.
104 How to write CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) operations in
109 Authentication ("auth").
113 Role-based authorization ("authz").
117 Attempts to provide an example showing current (5.7XXX) Catalyst
118 practices. For example, the use of
119 L<Catalyst::Action::RenderView|Catalyst::Action::RenderView>,
120 DBIC, L<Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader|Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader>
121 with C<myapp.yml>, the use of C<lib/MyApp/Controller/Root.pm>
122 vs. C<lib/MyApp.pm>, etc.
126 The use of Template Toolkit (TT) and the
127 L<Catalyst::Helper::View::TTSite|Catalyst::Helper::View::TTSite>
132 Useful techniques for troubleshooting and debugging Catalyst
137 The use of SQLite as a database (with code also provided for MySQL and
142 The use of L<HTML::Widget|HTML::Widget> for automated form processing
147 This tutorial makes the learning process its main priority. For
148 example, the level of comments in the code found here would likely be
149 considered excessive in a "normal project". Because of their contextual
150 value, this tutorial will generally favor inline comments over a
151 separate discussion in the text. It also deliberately tries to
152 demonstrate multiple approaches to various features (in general, you
153 should try to be as consistent as possible with your own production
156 Furthermore, this tutorial tries to minimize the number of controllers,
157 models, TT templates, and database tables. Although this does result in
158 things being a bit contrived at times, the concepts should be applicable
159 to more complex environments. More complete and complicated example
160 applications can be found in the C<examples> area of the Catalyst
161 Subversion repository at
162 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/>.
164 B<Note:> There are a variety of other introductory materials available
165 through the Catalyst web site and at
166 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/wiki/UserIntroductions> and
167 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/>.
169 =head1 VERSIONS AND CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL
171 This tutorial was built using the following resources. Please note that
172 you may need to make adjustments for different environments and
179 OS = CentOS 4 Linux (RHEL 4)
187 Catalyst::Devel v1.02
197 The plugins used in this tutorial all have sufficiently stable APIs that
198 you shouldn't need to worry about versions. However, there could be
199 cases where the tutorial is affected by what version of plugins you
200 use. This tutorial has been tested against the following set of plugins:
206 Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication -- 0.09
210 Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication::Store::DBIC -- 0.07
214 Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::ACL -- 0.08
218 Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::Roles -- 0.04
222 Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader -- 0.13
226 Catalyst::Plugin::HTML::Widget -- 1.1
230 Catalyst::Plugin::Session -- 0.12
234 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::State::Cookie -- 0.05
238 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::Store::FastMmap -- 0.02
242 Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -- 0.06
246 Catalyst::Plugin::Static::Simple -- 0.14
252 Since the web browser is being used on the same box where Perl and the
253 Catalyst development server is running, the URL of
254 C<http://localhost:3000> will be used (the Catalyst development server
255 defaults to port 3000). If you are running Perl on a different box than
256 where your web browser is located (or using a different port number via
257 the C<-p> I<port_number> option to the development server), then you
258 will need to update the URL you use accordingly.
262 Depending on the web browser you are using, you might need to hit
263 C<Shift+Reload> to pull a fresh page when testing your application at
264 various points. Also, the C<-k> keepalive option to the development
265 server can be necessary with some browsers (especially Internet
270 =head1 CATALYST INSTALLATION
272 Unfortunately, one of the most daunting tasks faced by newcomers to
273 Catalyst is getting it installed. Although a compelling strength of
274 Catalyst is that it can easily make use of many of the modules in the
275 vast repository that is CPAN, this can result in initial installations
276 that are both time consuming and frustrating. However, there are a
277 growing number of methods that can dramatically ease this undertaking.
278 Of these, the following are likely to be applicable to the largest
279 number of potential new users:
285 Matt Trout's C<cat-install>
287 Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
288 C<cat-install> can be a quick and painless way to get Catalyst up and
289 running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
294 Chris Laco's CatInABox
296 Download the tarball from
297 L<http://handelframework.com/downloads/CatInABox.tar.gz> and unpack it
298 on your machine. Depending on your OS platform, either run C<start.bat>
303 Pre-Built VMWare Images
305 Under the VMWare community program, work is ongoing to develop a number
306 of VMWare images where an entire Catalyst development environment has
307 already been installed, complete with database engines and a full
308 complement of Catalyst plugins.
312 For additional information and recommendations on Catalyst installation,
314 L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>.
316 B<NOTE:> Step-by-step instructions to replicate the environment on
317 which this tutorial was developed can be found at
318 L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4|Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4>.
319 Using these instructions, you should be able to build a complete CentOS
320 4.X server with Catalyst and all the plugins required to run this
325 This tutorial will primarily focus on SQLite because of its simplicity
326 of installation and use; however, modifications in the script required
327 to support MySQL and PostgreSQL will be presented in Appendix 2.
329 B<Note:> One of the advantages of the MVC design patterns is that
330 applications become much more database independent. As such, you will
331 notice that only the C<.sql> files used to initialize the database
332 change between database systems: the Catalyst code generally remains the
335 =head1 WHERE TO GET WORKING CODE
337 Each part of the tutorial has complete code available in the main
338 Catalyst Subversion repository (see the note at the beginning of each
339 part for the appropriate svn command to use). Additionally, the final
340 code is available as a ready-to-run tarball at
341 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp.tgz>.
343 B<NOTE:> You can run the test cases for the final code with the following
346 wget http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp.tgz
349 CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib t
354 Kennedy Clark, C<hkclark@gmail.com>
356 Please report any errors, issues or suggestions to the author. The
357 most recent version of the Catalyst Tutorial can be found at
358 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/Catalyst-Manual/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
360 Copyright 2006, Kennedy Clark, under Creative Commons License
361 (L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/>).