=head1 NAME
-Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Intro - Catalyst Tutorial - Part 1: Introduction
+Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Intro - Catalyst Tutorial - Chapter 1: Introduction
=head1 OVERVIEW
-This is B<Part 1 of 9> of the Catalyst Tutorial.
+This is B<Chapter 1 of 10> for the Catalyst tutorial.
L<Tutorial Overview|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial>
=item 3
-L<Basic CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::BasicCRUD>
+L<More Catalyst Basics|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::MoreCatalystBasics>
=item 4
-L<Authentication|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authentication>
+L<Basic CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::BasicCRUD>
=item 5
-L<Authorization|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authorization>
+L<Authentication|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authentication>
=item 6
-L<Debugging|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Debugging>
+L<Authorization|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Authorization>
=item 7
-L<Testing|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Testing>
+L<Debugging|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Debugging>
=item 8
-L<Advanced CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::AdvancedCRUD>
+L<Testing|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Testing>
=item 9
+L<Advanced CRUD|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::AdvancedCRUD>
+
+=item 10
+
L<Appendices|Catalyst::Manual::Tutorial::Appendices>
=back
+
=head1 DESCRIPTION
-This tutorial provides a multipart introduction to the Catalyst web
+This tutorial provides a multi-part introduction to the Catalyst web
framework. It seeks to provide a rapid overview of many of its most
commonly used features. The focus is on the real-world best practices
required in the construction of nearly all Catalyst applications.
Although the primary target of the tutorial is users new to the Catalyst
framework, experienced users may wish to review specific sections (for
-example, how to use DBIC for their model classes or how to add
-authentication and authorization to an existing application).
+example, how to use DBIC for their model classes, how to add
+authentication and authorization to an existing application, or form
+management).
You can obtain the code for all the tutorial examples from the
catalyst subversion repository by issuing the command:
- svn co http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/tags/examples/Tutorial/MyApp/5.7/ CatalystTutorial
+ svn co http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/ CatalystTutorial
-This will download the current code for each tutorial chapter in the
-CatalystTutorial directory. Each example application directory has
-the same name as the tutorial chapter.
+This will download the most recent tarball for each chapter of the
+tutorial into the CatalystTutorial directory on your machine.
B<These reference implementations are provided so that when you follow
the tutorial, you can use the code from the subversion repository to
inadvertently made any typographic errors, or accidentally skipped
part of the tutorial.>
-Additionally, if you're reading this manual online, you can download
-the example program and all the necessary dependencies to
-your local machine by installing the C<Task::Catalyst::Tutorial>
-distribution from CPAN:
+B<NOTE: You can use any Perl-supported OS and environment to run
+Catalyst.> It should make little or no difference to Catalyst's
+operation, B<but this tutorial has been written using the Debian 5
+live CD> because that represents a quick and easy for most people to
+try out Catalyst with virtually zero setup time and hassles. Also,
+the tutorial has been tested to work correctly with the versions of
+Catalyst and all the supporting modules in Debian 5 (see "VERSIONS
+AND CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL" below for the specific versions
+for some of the key modules), so B<if you think you might be running
+into an issue related to versions> (for example, a module changed its
+behavior in a newer version or a bug was introduced), B<it might be
+worth giving Debian 5 a try>. See the "CATALYST INSTALLATION"
+section below for more information.
+
+If you're reading this manual online, you can download the example
+program and all the necessary dependencies to your local machine by
+installing the C<Task::Catalyst::Tutorial> distribution from CPAN:
cpan Task::Catalyst::Tutorial
have trouble installing these, please ask for help on the #catalyst
IRC channel, or the Catalyst mailing list.
-Subjects covered include:
+Subjects covered by the tutorial include:
=over 4
=item *
-The use of L<DBIx::Class|DBIx::Class> (DBIC) for the model.
+The use of L<DBIx::Class|DBIx::Class> (DBIC) for the model (including
+some of the more advanced techniques you will probably want to use in
+your applications).
=item *
practices. For example, the use of
L<Catalyst::Action::RenderView|Catalyst::Action::RenderView>,
DBIC, L<Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader|Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader>
-with C<myapp.yml>, the use of C<lib/MyApp/Controller/Root.pm>
+with C<myapp.conf>, the use of C<lib/MyApp/Controller/Root.pm>
vs. C<lib/MyApp.pm>, etc.
=item *
-The use of Template Toolkit (TT) and the
-L<Catalyst::Helper::View::TTSite|Catalyst::Helper::View::TTSite>
-view helper.
+The use of Template Toolkit (TT).
=item *
=item *
-The use of L<HTML::Widget|HTML::Widget> for automated form processing
+The use of L<HTML::FormFu|HTML::FormFu> for automated form processing
and validation.
=back
This tutorial makes the learning process its main priority. For
example, the level of comments in the code found here would likely be
-considered excessive in a "normal project". Because of their contextual
+considered excessive in a "normal project." Because of their contextual
value, this tutorial will generally favor inline comments over a
separate discussion in the text. It also deliberately tries to
demonstrate multiple approaches to various features (in general, you
Subversion repository at
L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/>.
-B<Note:> There are a variety of other introductory materials available
-through the Catalyst web site and at
-L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/wiki/UserIntroductions> and
-L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/>.
=head1 VERSIONS AND CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS TUTORIAL
=item *
-OS = CentOS 4 Linux (RHEL 4)
+Debian 5 (Lenny)
=item *
-Catalyst v5.7
+Catalyst v5.71000
=item *
-Catalyst::Devel v1.02
+Catalyst::Devel v1.08
=item *
-DBIx::Class v0.06003
+DBIx::Class v0.08012
=item *
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication -- 0.09
-
-=item *
-
-Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication::Store::DBIC -- 0.07
+Catalyst::Plugin::Authentication -- v0.10006
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::ACL -- 0.08
+Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::Roles -- v0.05
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::Authorization::Roles -- 0.04
+Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader -- v0.20
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::ConfigLoader -- 0.13
+Catalyst::Plugin::Session -- v0.19
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::HTML::Widget -- 1.1
+Catalyst::Plugin::Session::State::Cookie -- v0.09
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::Session -- 0.12
+Catalyst::Plugin::Session::Store::FastMmap -- v0.05
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::Session::State::Cookie -- 0.05
+Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -- v0.08
=item *
-Catalyst::Plugin::Session::Store::FastMmap -- 0.02
+Catalyst::Plugin::Static::Simple -- v0.20
-=item *
+=back
-Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -- 0.06
+=item *
-=item *
+B<NOTE:> You can check the versions you have installed with the
+following command:
-Catalyst::Plugin::Static::Simple -- 0.14
+ perl -M<_mod_name_> -e '"print $<_mod_name_>::VERSION\n"'
-=back
-
-=item *
+For example:
+ perl -MCatalyst::Plugin::StackTrace -e 'print "$Catalyst::Plugin::StackTrace::VERSION\n"'
Since the web browser is being used on the same box where Perl and the
Catalyst development server is running, the URL of
=item *
-Depending on the web browser you are using, you might need to hit
-C<Shift+Reload> to pull a fresh page when testing your application at
-various points. Also, the C<-k> keepalive option to the development
-server can be necessary with some browsers (especially Internet
-Explorer).
+Depending on the web browser you are using, you might need to hit
+C<Shift+Reload> or C<Ctrl+Reload> to pull a fresh page when testing
+your application at various points (see
+L<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bypass_your_cache> for a comprehensive
+list of options for each browser). Also, the C<-k> keepalive option
+to the development server can be necessary with some browsers
+(especially Internet Explorer).
=back
+
=head1 CATALYST INSTALLATION
-Unfortunately, one of the most daunting tasks faced by newcomers to
-Catalyst is getting it installed. Although a compelling strength of
-Catalyst is that it can easily make use of many of the modules in the
-vast repository that is CPAN, this can result in initial installations
-that are both time consuming and frustrating. However, there are a
-growing number of methods that can dramatically ease this undertaking.
-Of these, the following are likely to be applicable to the largest
-number of potential new users:
+Although Catalyst installation has been a challenge in the past, the
+good news is that there are a growing number of options to eliminate
+(or at least dramatically simplify) this concern. Although a
+compelling strength of Catalyst is that it makes use of many of the
+modules in the vast repository that is CPAN, this can complicate the
+installation process if you approach it in the wrong way. Consider
+the following suggestions on the most common ways to get started with
+a Catalyst development environment:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item *
+
+Debian
+
+The Debian 5 live CD represents a great way for newcomers to
+experiment with Catalyst. As a "live CD," you can simple boot from
+the CD, run a few commands, and in a matter of minutes you should have
+a fully function environment in which do this tutorial. B<The tutorial
+was fully tested to work under Debian 5. Although it SHOULD work
+under any Catalyst installation method you might choose, it can be
+hard to guarantee this.>
+
+=over 4
+
+=item *
+
+Download one of the ISO files from
+L<http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/release/current-live/i386/iso-cd/>.
+You can pick any one of the live CD variations will work, but
+you may wish to consider the following points:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item *
+
+"C<debian-live-500-i386-rescue.iso>" is probably the best all-around
+option for most people because it includes many extra tools such as
+the GCC compiler, therefore saving RAM (every package you need to
+install when running from live CD consumes memory because RAM disk is
+being used in lieu of real disk space). When initially booting under
+this image, you may see some cryptic warning messages having to do
+with various diagnostic tools it tries to load or enable, but you
+should be able to safely ignore these.
+
+=item *
+
+"C<debian-live-500-i386-standard.iso>" is a great option because of
+its compact size, but you will probably need approximately 1 GB of RAM
+in the computer where you will run the tutorial. Because the
+"standard" live CD comes with with a minimal set of tools, we will
+have to install extra packages (such as the GCC compiler), all of
+which will require RAM when running from a live CD.
+
+=item *
+
+The other ISO images include different flavors of X-Windows desktop
+managers. You can select one of these if you don't mind the larger
+download size and prefer a graphical environment. Be aware that these
+disks do not come with the extra tools found on the "rescue" image, so
+you will need adequate RAM to be able to install them just as you
+would under the "standard" image. B<Use one of the "graphical" ISO
+images if you want a graphical web browser on the same machine as
+where you will run the tutorial.> (If you are using one of the non-
+graphical images discussed above, you can still use a graphical web
+browser from another machine and point it to your Catalyst development
+machine.)
+
+=back
+
+=item *
+
+Boot off the CD.
+
+=item *
+
+Select "C<Live>" from the initial boot menu.
+
+=item *
+
+Once the system has booted to a "C<user@debian:~$>" prompt, enter the
+following command to add the more current "unstable" package
+repository:
+
+ sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list
+
+Add the following line to the bottom of this file:
+
+ deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main
+
+If you are not familiar with VI, you can move to the bottom of this
+file and press the "o" key to insert a new line and type the line
+above. Then press the "Esc" key followed by a colon (":"), the
+letters "wq" and then the "Enter" key. The rest of the tutorial will
+assume that you know how to use some editor that is available from the
+Linux command-line environment.
+
+=item *
+
+Install Catalyst:
+
+ sudo aptitude update
+ sudo aptitude -y install sqlite3 libdbd-sqlite3-perl libcatalyst-perl \
+ libcatalyst-modules-perl libconfig-general-perl libsql-translator-perl \
+ libdatetime-perl libdatetime-format-mysql-perl libio-all-perl \
+ libperl6-junction-perl
+
+Let it install (normally about a 30-second operaton) and you are
+done.
+
+If you are using an image other than the "rescue" ISO, you will also need
+to run the following command to install additional packages:
+
+ sudo aptitude -y install gcc make libc6-dev
+
+If you are running from the Live CD, you probably also want to free up
+some RAM disk space with the following:
+
+ sudo aptitude clean
+
+NOTE: While the instructions above mention the Live CD because that
+makes it easy for people new to Linux, you can obviously pick a
+different Debian ISO image and install it to your hard drive.
+Although there are many different ways to download and install Debian,
+the "netinst" ISO image (such as "C<debian-500-i386-netinst.iso>"
+represents a great option because it keeps your initial download small
+(but still let's you install anything you want "over the network").
+
+Here are some tips if you are running from a live CD and are running
+out of disk space (which really means you are running out of RAM):
+
+=over 4
+
+=item *
+
+Always run "C<aptitude clean>" after you install new packages to
+delete the original .deb files (the files installed B<by> the .deb
+package B<will> remain available, just the .deb package itself is
+deleted).
+
+=item *
+
+If you are installing modules from CPAN, you can free up some space
+with "C<rm -rf /root/.cpan/*>".
+
+=item *
+
+If necessary, you can remove the cached package information with the
+command "C<rm -f /var/lib/apt/lists/*>". You can later pull this
+information again via the command "C<aptitude update>".
+
+=item *
+
+You can save a small amount of space by commenting out the lines in
+C</etc/apt/sources.list> that reference "deb-src" and
+"security.debian.org". If you have already done an "C<aptitude
+update>" with these repositories enabled, you can use the tip in the
+previous bullet to free the space up (and then do another "C<aptitude
+update>").
+
+=item *
+
+Although you can free up space by removing packages you installed
+since you last booted (check out "C<aptitude remove _pkg_name>"),
+don't bother trying to remove packages already available at the time
+of boot. Instead of freeing up space, it will actual I<consume> some
+space. (The live CD uses these "burn in" packages right from the CD
+disk vs. first loading them on the virtual RAM disk. However, if you
+remove them, the system has to update various files, something that
+I<does> consume some space on the virtual RAM disk.)
+
+=back
+
+=back
+
+=item *
+
+Ubuntu
+
+Ubuntu is an extremely popular offshoot of Debian. It provides
+cutting edge versions of many common tools, application and libraries
+in an easy-to-run live CD configuration (and because a single download
+option can be used for both live CD and install-to-disk usage, it
+keeps your download options nice and simple). As with Debian 5, you
+should be able to generate a fully function Catalyst environment in a
+matter of minutes. Here are quick instructions on how to use Ubuntu
+to prepare for the tutorial:
=over 4
=item *
+Download the Ubuntu Desktop edition and boot from the CD and/or image
+file, select your language, and then "Try Ubuntu without any changes
+to your computer."
+
+=item *
+
+Open a terminal session (click "Applications" in the upper-left
+corner, then "Accessories," then "Terminal").
+
+=item *
+
+Add the 'universe' repositories:
+
+ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
+
+And remove the comments from the lines under the comments about the
+'universe' repositories.
+
+=item *
+
+Install Catalyst:
+
+ sudo aptitude update
+ sudo aptitude install libdbd-sqlite3-perl libcatalyst-perl libcatalyst-modules-perl libconfig-general-perl
+
+Accept all of the dependencies. Done.
+
+If you are running from the Live CD, you probably also want to free up
+some disk space with the following:
+
+ sudo aptitude clean
+
+NOTE: While the instructions above mention the live CD because that
+makes it easy for people new to Linux, you can obviously also use one
+of the options to install Ubuntu on your drive.
+
+=back
+
+=item *
+
Matt Trout's C<cat-install>
-Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
-C<cat-install> can be a quick and painless way to get Catalyst up and
-running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
-cat-install>.
+Available at L<http://www.shadowcatsystems.co.uk/static/cat-install>,
+C<cat-install> can be a fairly painless way to get Catalyst up and
+running. Just download the script from the link above and type C<perl
+cat-install>. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection and
+your computer, it will probably take 30 to 60 minutes to install because
+it downloads, makes, compiles, and tests every module. But this is an
+excellent way to automate the installation of all the latest modules
+used by Catalyst from CPAN.
+
+
+=item *
+
+Other Possibilities
+
+=over 4
+
+=item *
+
+OpenBSD Packages
+
+The 2008 Advent Day 4 entry has more information on using OpenBSD
+packages to quickly build a system:
+L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/4>.
+
+=item *
+
+NetBSD Package Collection on Solaris
+
+The 2008 Advent Day 15 entry has more information on using C<pkgsrc> and
+NetBSD packages on Solaris:
+L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/15>.
=item *
-Chris Laco's CatInABox
+CatInABox
-Download the tarball from
-L<http://handelframework.com/downloads/CatInABox.tar.gz> and unpack it
-on your machine. Depending on your OS platform, either run C<start.bat>
-or C<start.sh>.
+You can get more information at
+L<http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2008/7>
+or L<Perl::Dist::CatInABox|Perl::Dist::CatInABox>.
=item *
-Pre-Built VMWare Images
+Frank Speiser's Amazon EC2 Catalyst SDK
+
+There are currently two flavors of publicly available Amazon Machine
+Images (AMI) that include all the elements you'd need to begin
+developing in a fully functional Catalyst environment within minutes.
+See L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>
+for more details.
-Under the VMWare community program, work is ongoing to develop a number
-of VMWare images where an entire Catalyst development environment has
-already been installed, complete with database engines and a full
-complement of Catalyst plugins.
+=back
=back
please refer to
L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation|Catalyst::Manual::Installation>.
-B<NOTE:> Step-by-step instructions to replicate the environment on
-which this tutorial was developed can be found at
-L<Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4|Catalyst::Manual::Installation::CentOS4>.
-Using these instructions, you should be able to build a complete CentOS
-4.X server with Catalyst and all the plugins required to run this
-tutorial.
=head1 DATABASES
This tutorial will primarily focus on SQLite because of its simplicity
of installation and use; however, modifications in the script required
-to support MySQL and PostgreSQL will be presented in Appendix 2.
+to support MySQL and PostgreSQL will be presented in Appendix.
B<Note:> One of the advantages of the MVC design patterns is that
applications become much more database independent. As such, you will
change between database systems: the Catalyst code generally remains the
same.
+
=head1 WHERE TO GET WORKING CODE
-Each part of the tutorial has complete code available in the main
-Catalyst Subversion repository (see the note at the beginning of each
-part for the appropriate svn command to use). Additionally, the final
-code is available as a ready-to-run tarball at
-L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp.tgz>.
+Each chapter of the tutorial has complete code available as a tarball in
+the main Catalyst Subversion repository (see the note at the beginning
+of each part for the appropriate svn command to use).
-B<NOTE:> You can run the test cases for the final code with the following
-commands:
+B<NOTE:> You can run the test cases for the final code through Chapter 8
+with the following commands:
- wget http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/Final_Tarball/MyApp.tgz
- tar zxvf MyApp.tgz
+ sudo cpan Catalyst::Model::DBIC::Schema Time::Warp DBICx::TestDatabase \
+ DBIx::Class::DynamicDefault DBIx::Class::TimeStamp DBIx::Class::EncodedColumn
+ wget http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/examples/Tutorial/MyApp_Chapter8.tgz
+ tar zxvf MyApp_Chapter8.tgz
cd MyApp
- CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib t
+ CATALYST_DEBUG=0 prove --lib lib t
+
+If you wish to include the L<HTML::FormFu|HTML::FormFu> section in
+your tests, substitute C<MyApp_Chapter9_FormFu.tgz> for
+C<MyApp_Chapter8.tgz> in the URL above. However, you will also need to
+run the following additional commands:
+
+ sudo aptitude -y install libhtml-formfu-perl libmoose-perl \
+ libregexp-assemble-perl libhtml-formfu-model-dbic-perl
+ sudo aptitude clean
+ sudo cpan Catalyst::Component::InstancePerContext Catalyst::Controller::HTML::FormFu
+
+You can also fire up the application under the development server that is conveniently
+built in to Catalyst. Just issue this command from the C<MyApp> directory where you
+ran the test suite above:
+
+ script/myapp_server.pl
+
+And the application will start. You can try out the application by
+pulling up C<http://localhost:3000> in your web browser (as mentioned
+earlier, change C<localhost> to a different IP address or DNS name if
+you are running your web browser and your Catalyst development on
+different boxes). We will obviously see more about how to use the
+application as we go through the remaining chapters of the tutorial, but
+for now you can log in using the username "test01" and a password of
+"mypass".
=head1 AUTHOR
Please report any errors, issues or suggestions to the author. The
most recent version of the Catalyst Tutorial can be found at
-L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/trunk/Catalyst-Manual/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
-
-Copyright 2006, Kennedy Clark, under Creative Commons License
-(L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/>).
-
+L<http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/repos/Catalyst/Catalyst-Manual/5.70/trunk/lib/Catalyst/Manual/Tutorial/>.
+Copyright 2006-2008, Kennedy Clark, under Creative Commons License
+(L<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/>).
projects / catagits/Catalyst-Manual.git / blobdiff