NAME

Context::Singleton::Tutorial - How to work with Context::Singleton

TASK

Let's have an application handling web requests and emails, eg ticket system.

Application has config file providing database credentials.

IMPLEMENTATION

Root context resources

Root context is default context provided by Context::Singleton. Resources defined in this context are real singletons.

Rule config_file

   # Instance of config file with methods providing configuration options.
   contrive config_file => (
      class => 'My::App::Config',
      builder => 'parse_file',
      dep => [ 'config_file_name' ],
   );

   # behaves like
   sub contrive_config_file {
      my ($config_file_name) = @_;
      eval "use My::App::Config" or die $@;
      return My::App::Config->parse_file ($config_file_name);
   }

Usage:

   # provide config file name
   proclaim config_file_name => $ENV{MY_APP_CONFIG_FILE};

   # when needed just call
   my $config_file = deduce 'config_file';

Any code in any depth requesting config_file will receive same instance until you will change its dependencies.

   frame {
      # Use different package
      proclaim 'My::App::Config' => 'My::Other::App::Config';
      deduce 'config_file';
   };

   frame {
      proclaim 'config_file' => My::Test::Config->new;
      deduce 'config_file';
   };

Why to bother?

As your application evolves you have no idea where you will need given resource neither how many receipts you will add/remove.

Well, you can pass it into every function or every class in chain. You can build and manage all builders on all classes (eg via Moose::Role) You can create it as real singleton as well.

Context::Singleton treats this problem differently. It expects behaviour immutability of resources and provides way how to inject new behaviour and simplifies reusability.

Resource db_dsn

Resource db_user

Resource db_password

DSN is provided by config file via method db_dsn. Similar for db_user and db_password.

   contrive db_dsn => (
      deduce => 'config_file',
      builder => 'db_dsn',
   );

   contrive db_user => (
      deduce => 'config_file',
      builder => 'db_user',
   );

   contrive db_password => (
      deduce => 'config_file',
      builder => 'db_password',
   );

Resource db

DB connection

   contrive db => (
      class => 'DBI',
      builder => 'connect',
      dep => [ 'db_dsn', 'db_user', 'db_password' ],
   );

Since now every code can fetch db value (valid in its context).

User authentication

Let's assume our application identifies user by email address or expects authenticated HTTP request.

Resource user

   contrive user => (
      deduce => 'http_request',
      builder => 'user',
   );

   contrive user => (
      dep => [ 'db', 'email_address' ],
      as => sub {
         my ($db, $address) = @_;
         # SELECT user FROM users WHERE email = ?; from $db; with $address
      }
   );

Email handler provides email_address whereas HTTP handler provides http_request. In both cases rule user can be properly deduced.

   # email-handler
   sub handle_request {
      frame {
         proclaim email_address => 'EMAIL_FROM';
         do_something;
      };
   }

   # http handler
   sub handle_http_request {
      frame {
         proclaim http_request => ...;
         do_something;
      };
   }

Now you have (lazy) resource user available in any descending level cached it in frame where email_address/http_request is defined.

EXTENDING - DB PER USER

Let's upgrage our application so we will have one database per user but still using central database for user authentication.

Override resources after using them

   sub do_something {
      my $db = deduce 'db';
      my ($dsn, $user, $password) = $db->fetch_user_db_credentials;
      frame {
         proclaim db_dsn => $dsn;
         proclaim db_user => $user;
         proclaim db_password => $password;
         # db will be recaluclated when requested
         ...;
      };
   }

Change user db rule and link it with db

   # Provide rule similar do db
   contrive user_db => (...);

   contrive user_db_info => (
      deduce => 'user_db',
      as => sub { select .... },
   );

   # Change db_dsn, db_user, db_password rules
   contrive db_user => (
      dep => [ 'user_db_info' ],
      as => sub { $_[0]->{db_user} },
   );

cpanm Context::Singleton

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Context::Singleton