NAME

CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup::Loop - Manage list structures in a website

VERSION

Version 1.8

DESCRIPTION

This module manages the instantiation of list style template parameters across a website; for example TMPL_LOOP in HTML::Template, though one must use HTML::Template::Pluggable for it to work. For example a menu is typically implemented in HTML as <ul>....</ul>. Using this module the menu can be instantiated from the database and the same data used to instantiate a human-readable sitemap page. On the other hand the staff page will have list data that is only required on that page. This module depends on CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup.

SYNOPSIS

In the template you might define a menu as follows (with some CSS and javascript to make it look nice):

    <ul>
    <TMPL_LOOP NAME="loop.menu">
        <li>
                <a href="<TMPL_VAR NAME="lang">/<TMPL_VAR NAME="this.href1">"><TMPL_VAR NAME="this.atitle1"></a>
                <TMPL_IF NAME="submenu1">
                <ul>
                <TMPL_LOOP NAME="submenu1">
                        <li>
                                <a href="<TMPL_VAR NAME="lang">/<TMPL_VAR NAME="href2">"><TMPL_VAR NAME="atitle2"></a>
                                <TMPL_IF NAME="submenu2">
                                <ul>
                                <TMPL_LOOP NAME="submenu2">
                                <li>
                                        <a href="<TMPL_VAR NAME="lang">/<TMPL_VAR NAME="href3">"><TMPL_VAR NAME="atitle3"></a>
                                </li>
                                </TMPL_LOOP>
                                </ul>
                                </TMPL_IF>
                        </li>
                </TMPL_LOOP>
                </ul>   
                </TMPL_IF>
        </li>
    </TMPL_LOOP>
    </ul>

and the intention is that this should be the same on all English pages, the same on all Vietnamese pages etc etc. The use of "this." below the top levels is dictated by HTML::Template::Plugin::Dot which also optionally allows renaming of this implicit variable. You must register the "loop" parameter as a CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup::Loop object as follows:

    use CGI::Application;
    use CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup qw(:all);
    use CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup::Loop;
    use HTML::Template::Pluggable;
    use HTML::Template::Plugin::Dot;

    sub cgiapp_init {
        my $self = shift;

        # pagelookup depends CGI::Application::DBH;
        $self->dbh_config(......); # whatever arguments are appropriate

        $self->html_tmpl_class('HTML::Template::Pluggable');

        $self->pagelookup_config(

                # load smart dot-notation objects
                objects =>
                {
                        # Register the 'values' parameter
                        loop => 'CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup::Loop',
                },

                # Processing of the 'lang' parameter inside a loop requires global_vars = 1 inside the template infrastructure
                template_params => {global_vars => 1}

        );
    }


    ...

The astute reader will notice that the above will only work if you set the 'global_vars' to true. After that all that remains is to populate the cgiapp_loops table with the appropriate values. To fill the above menu you might run the following SQL:

        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 0, 'href1', '')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 0, 'atitle1', 'Home page')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 1, 'href1', 'aboutus')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 1, 'atitle1', 'About us')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 2, 'href1', 'products')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 2, 'atitle1', 'Our products')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 3, 'href1', 'contactus')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 3, 'atitle1', 'Contact us')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 4, 'href1', 'sitemap')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'menu', '', 4, 'atitle1', 'Sitemap')

Now suppose that you need to describe the products in more detail. Then you might add the following rows:

        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu1', '2', 0, 'href2', 'wodgets')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu1', '2', 0, 'atitle2', 'Finest wodgets')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu1', '2', 1, 'href2', 'bladgers')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu1', '2', 1, 'atitle2', 'Delectable bladgers')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu1', '2', 2, 'href2', 'spodges')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu1', '2', 2, 'atitle2', 'Exquisite spodges')
        

Now suppose that the bladger market is hot, and we need to further subdivide our menu. Then you might add the following rows:

        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu2', '2,1', 0, 'href3', 'bladgers/runcible')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu2', '2,1', 0, 'atitle3', 'Runcible bladgers')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu2', '2,1', 1, 'href3', 'bladgers/collapsible')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu2', '2,1', 1, 'atitle3', 'Collapsible bladgers')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu2', '2,1', 2, 'href3', 'bladgers/goldplated')
        INSERT INTO cgiapp_loops (lang, loopName, lineage, rank, param, value) VALUES ('en', 'submenu2', '2,1', 2, 'atitle3', 'Gold plated bladgers')

DATABASE

This module depends on only one extra table: cgiapp_loops. The lang and internalId columns join against the cgiapp_table. However the internalId column can null, making the parameter available to all pages in the same language. The key is formed by all of the columns except for the value.

Table: cgiapp_loops
 Field        Type                                                                Null Key  Default Extra
 ------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- ---- ------- -----
 lang         varchar(2)                                                          NO   UNI  NULL          
 internalId   unsigned numeric(10,0)                                              YES  UNI  NULL          
 loopName     varchar(20)                                                         NO   UNI  NULL          
 lineage      varchar(255)                                                        NO   UNI                
 rank         unsigned numeric(2,0)                                               NO   UNI  0             
 param        varchar(20)                                                         NO   UNI  NULL          
 value        text                                                                NO        NULL          

The loopName is the parameter name of the TMPL_LOOP structure. The rank indicates which iteration of the loop this row is instantiating. The lineage is a comma separated list of ranks so that we know what part of a nested loop structure this row instantiates. For a top-level parameter this will always be the empty string.

FUNCTIONS

new

A constructor following the requirements set out in CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup.

can

We need to autoload methods so that the template writer can use loops without needing to know where the loops will be used. Thus 'can' must return a true value in all cases to avoid breaking HTML::Template::Plugin::Dot. Also 'can' is supposed to either return undef or a CODE ref. This seems the cleanest way of meeting all requirements.

AUTOLOAD

We need to autoload methods so that the template writer can use loops without needing to know where the variables will be used.

__populate_lower_loops

A private function that does what is says.

DESTROY

We have to define DESTROY, because an autoloaded version would be bad.

AUTHOR

Nicholas Bamber, <nicholas at periapt.co.uk>

BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-cgi-application-plugin-pagelookup at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=CGI-Application-Plugin-PageLookup. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

AUTOLOAD

AUTOLOAD is quite a fraught subject. There is probably no perfect solution. See http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=342804 for a sample of the issues.

SUPPORT

You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.

    perldoc CGI::Application::Plugin::PageLookup::Loop

You can also look for information at:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

Copyright 2009 Nicholas Bamber.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either: the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; or the Artistic License.

See http://dev.perl.org/licenses/ for more information.