NAME

CGI::Application::Plugin::PageBuilder - Simplifies building pages with multiple templates.

SYNOPSIS

This module simplifies building complex web pages with many small piecemeal templates.

Instead of

            

              
              
sub run_mode {
    my $self = shift;
    my $header = $self->load_tmpl( 'header.tmpl' )->output();
    my $html;
    my $start = $self->load_tmpl( 'view_start.tmpl' );
    $start->param( view_name => 'This View' );
    $html .= $start->output();
    my $db = MyApp::DB::Views->retrieve_all(); # Class::DBI
    while ( my $line = $db->next() ) {
        my $template = $self->load_tmpl( 'view_element.tmpl' );
        $template->param( name => $line->name() );
        $template->param( info => $line->info() );
        $html .= $template->output();
    }
    $html .= $self->load_tmpl( 'view_end.tmpl' )->output();
    $html .= $self->load_tmpl( 'footer.tmpl' )->output();
    return $html;
}
            
          

You can do this:

            

              
              
CGI:App subclass:
sub run_mode {
    my $self = shift;
    $self->pb_template( 'header.tmpl' );
    $self->pb_template( 'view_start.tmpl' );
    my $db = MyApp::DB::Views->retrieve_all();
    while( my $line = $db->next() ) {
        $self->pb_template( 'view_row.tmpl' );
        $self->pb_param( name, $line->name() );
        $self->pb_param( info, $line->info() );
    }
    $self->pb_template( 'view_end.tmpl' );
    $self->pb_template( 'footer.tmpl' );
    return $self->pb_build();
}
            
          

METHODS

pb_template

$self->pb_template( 'the_template_to_use.tmpl', ... );

Adds the template to the page. Any arguments past the template name are passed on to HTML::Template.

pb_param

$self->pb_param( name, value );

Sets the value for the param in the template. This applies to the last template loaded by pb_template().

pb_build

$self->pb_build();

Returns the combined page.

AUTHOR

Clint Moore <cmoore@cpan.org>

LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2005, Clint Moore <cmoore@cpan.org>.

This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.