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 Subjects covered include:
79 A simple application that lists and adds books.
83 The use of L<DBIx::Class|DBIx::Class> (DBIC) for the model.
87 How to write CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) operations in
92 Authentication ("auth").
96 Role-based authorization ("authz").
100 Attempts to provide an example showing current (5.7XXX) Catalyst
101 practices. For example, the use of
102 L<Catalyst::Action::RenderView|Catalyst::Action::RenderView>,
103 DBIC, L<Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader|Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader>
104 with C<myapp.yml>, the use of C<lib/MyApp/Controller/Root.pm>
105 vs. C<lib/MyApp.pm>, etc.
109 The use of Template Toolkit (TT) and the
110 L<Catalyst::Helper::View::TTSite|Catalyst::Helper::View::TTSite>
115 Useful techniques for troubleshooting and debugging Catalyst
120 The use of SQLite as a database (with code also provided for MySQL and
125 The use of L<HTML::Widget|HTML::Widget> for automated form processing
130 This tutorial makes the learning process its main priority. For
131 example, the level of comments in the code found here would likely be
132 considered excessive in a "normal project". Because of their contextual
133 value, this tutorial will generally favor inline comments over a
134 separate discussion in the text. It also deliberately tries to
135 demonstrate multiple approaches to various features (in general, you
136 should try to be as consistent as possible with your own production
139 Furthermore, this tutorial tries to minimize the number of controllers,
140 models, TT templates, and database tables. Although this does result in
141 things being a bit contrived at times, the concepts should be applicable
142 to more complex environments. More complete and complicated example
143 applications can be found in the C<examples> area of the Catalyst
144 Subversion repository at
145 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/>.
147 B<Note:> There are a variety of other introductory materials available
148 through the Catalyst web site and at
149 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/wiki/UserIntroductions> and
150 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/>.
152 =head1 VERSIONS AND CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL
154 This tutorial was built using the following resources. Please note that
155 you may need to make adjustments for different environments and
162 OS = CentOS 4 Linux (RHEL 4)
176 The plugins used in this tutorial all have sufficiently stable APIs that
177 you shouldn't need to worry about versions. However, there could be
178 cases where the tutorial is affected by what version of plugins you
179 use. The plugins used for this tutorial are:
185 Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication -- 0.07
189 Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication::Credential::Password -- 0.07
193 Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication::Store::DBIC -- 0.06
197 Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::ACL -- 0.06
201 Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::Roles -- 0.04
205 Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader -- 0.07
209 Catalyst::Plugin::HTML::Widget -- 1.1
213 Catalyst::Plugin::Session -- 0.05
217 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::FastMmap -- 0.12
221 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::State::Cookie -- 0.02
225 Catalyst::Plugin::Session::Store::FastMmap -- 0.02
229 Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -- 0.04
233 Catalyst::Plugin::Static::Simple -- 0.14
239 Since the web browser is being used on the same box where Perl and the
240 Catalyst development server is running, the URL of
241 C<http://localhost:3000> will be used (the Catalyst development server
242 defaults to port 3000). If you are running Perl on a different box than
243 where your web browser is located (or using a different port number via
244 the C<-p> I<port_number> option to the development server), then you
245 will need to update the URL you use accordingly.
249 Depending on the web browser you are using, you might need to hit
250 C<Shift+Reload> to pull a fresh page when testing your application at
251 various points. Also, the C<-k> keepalive option to the development
252 server can be necessary with some browsers (especially Internet
257 =head1 CATALYST INSTALLATION
259 Unfortunately, one of the most daunting tasks faced by newcomers to
260 Catalyst is getting it installed. Although a compelling strength of
261 Catalyst is that it can easily make use of many of the modules in the
262 vast repository that is CPAN, this can result in initial installations
263 that are both time consuming and frustrating. However, there are a
264 growing number of methods that can dramatically ease this undertaking.
265 Of these, the following are likely to be applicable to the largest
266 number of potential new users:
272 Matt Trout's C<cat-install>
274 Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
275 C<cat-install> can be a quick and painless way to get Catalyst up and
276 running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
281 Chris Laco's CatInABox
283 Download the tarball from
284 L<http://handelframework.com/downloads/CatInABox.tar.gz> and unpack it
285 on your machine. Depending on your OS platform, either run C<start.bat>
290 Pre-Built VMWare Images
292 Under the VMWare community program, work is ongoing to develop a number
293 of VMWare images where an entire Catalyst development environment has
294 already been installed, complete with database engines and a full
295 complement of Catalyst plugins.
299 For additional information and recommendations on Catalyst installation,
301 L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>.
303 B<NOTE:> Step-by-step instructions to replicate the environment on
304 which this tutorial was developed can be found at
305 L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4|Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4>.
306 Using these instructions, you should be able to build a complete CentOS
307 4.X server with Catalyst and all the plugins required to run this
312 This tutorial will primarily focus on SQLite because of its simplicity
313 of installation and use; however, modifications in the script required
314 to support MySQL and PostgreSQL will be presented in Appendix 2.
316 B<Note:> One of the advantages of the MVC design patterns is that
317 applications become much more database independent. As such, you will
318 notice that only the C<.sql> files used to initialize the database
319 change between database systems: the Catalyst code generally remains the
322 =head1 WHERE TO GET WORKING CODE
324 Each part of the tutorial has complete code available in the main
325 Catalyst Subversion repository (see the note at the beginning of each
326 part for the appropriate svn command to use). Additionally, the final
327 code is available as a ready-to-run tarball at
328 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp.tgz>.
333 Kennedy Clark, C<hkclark@gmail.com>
335 Please report any errors, issues or suggestions to the author. The
336 most recent version of the Catalyst Tutorial can be found at
337 L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/Catalyst-Runtime/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
339 Copyright 2006, Kennedy Clark, under Creative Commons License
340 (L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/>).