libclass-dbi-lite-perl 1.026-1 / usr / share / perl5 / Class / DBI / Lite / Tutorial.pod

=pod

=head1 NAME

Class::DBI::Lite::Tutorial - How To Use Class::DBI::Lite

=head1 QUICKSTART

The following examples are intended to work with MySQL version 5.1.x

=head2 Example Database

  create table artists (
    artist_id   integer unsigned not null primary key auto_increment,
    name        varchar(100) not null,
  ) engine=innodb charset=utf8;

  create table albums (
    album_id    integer unsigned not null primary key auto_increment,
    arist_id    integer unsigned not null,
    name        varchar(100) not null,
    unique(artist_id, name),
    foreign key fk_albums_artists (artist_id) references artists( artist_id ) on delete restrict
  ) engine=innodb charset=utf8;

=head2 Example Classes

First you must subclass C<Class::DBI::Lite::*> and define your database connection:

=head3 Your 'Model' Class:

File C<lib/App/db/model.pm>

  package App::db::model;
  
  use strict;
  use warnings 'all';
  use base 'Class::DBI::Lite::mysql';
  
  __PACKAGE__->connection(
    'DBI:mysql:dbname:hostname', 'username', 'password'
  );
  
  1;# return true:

=head3 Your 'Entity' Classes:

File C<lib/App/db/artist.pm>

  package App::db::artist;
  
  use strict;
  use warnings 'all';
  use base 'App::db::model';
  
  __PACKAGE__->set_up_table('artists');
  
  # Artists have many Albums, referenced by the field 'artist_id':
  __PACKAGE__->has_many(
    albums  =>
      'App::db::album' =>
        'artist_id'
  );
  
  1;# return true:

File C<lib/App/db/album.pm>

  package App::db::album;
  
  use strict;
  use warnings 'all';
  use base 'App::db::model';
  
  __PACKAGE__->set_up_table('albums');
  
  # Albums have an artist, referenced by the field 'artist_id'
  __PACKAGE__->belongs_to(
    artist  =>
      'App::db::artist'  =>
        'artist_id'
  );
  
  1;# return true:

=head2 Example Usage

Using C<Class::DBI::Lite> is simple.

  #!/usr/bin/perl -w
  
  use strict;
  use warnings 'all';
  
  use App::db::artist;
  use App::db::album;

  # Now you're all set!

=head2 Table Relationships

If you have relationships between your classes, you can express them like this:

=head3 One-To-Many Relationships

  __PACKAGE__->has_many(
    <methodname> =>
      <classname> =>
        <their_fieldname>
  );

=head3 One-To-One Relationships

  __PACKAGE__->has_one(
    <methodname> =>
      <classname> =>
        <my_fieldname>
  );

...or...

  __PACKAGE__->belongs_to(
    <methodname> =>
      <classname> =>
        <my_fieldname>
  );

So in our example we say:

  # Artists have many Albums, referenced by the field 'artist_id':
  __PACKAGE__->has_many(
    albums  =>
      'App::db::album' =>
        'artist_id'
  );

Which means that given an instance of C<My::Artist> you can do this:

  # Fetch the artist:
  my $artist = App::db::artist->retrieve( 1 );
  
  # Fetch the artist's albums:
  my @albums = $artist->albums;
  
  # Print the artist's name for each of these albums:
  foreach my $album ( @albums ) {
    print $album->artist->name;
  }

  # As of version 1.005 You can also do the following:
  my @best_of = $artist->albums({name => { LIKE => '%Best of%'} });
  
  my @sorted = $artist->albums(undef, { order_by => 'name DESC' } );
  
  my @sorted_best = $artist->albums({
    name => { LIKE => '%Best of%' }
  }, {
    order_by => 'name DESC'
  });
  
  my @top_five = $artist->albums({
    name => { LIKE => '%Best of%' }
  }, {
    order_by => 'name DESC limit 0, 5'
  });

That example would look like this if we were doing it with hand-coded SQL statements:

  # **** THE OLD WAY: ****
  use DBI;
  
  my $dbh = DBI->connect('DBI:mysql:dbname:hostname', 'username', 'password' );
  
  # Fetch the artist:
  my $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT * FROM artists WHERE artist_id = ?");
  $sth->execute( 1 );
  my ($artist) = $sth->fetchrow_hashref;
  $sth->finish();
  
  # Fetch the artist's albums:
  my @albums = ( );
  $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT * FROM albums WHERE artist_id = ?");
  $sth->execute( $artist->{artist_id} );
  while( my $album = $sth->fetchrow_hashref ) {
    push @albums, $album;
  }
  $sth->finish();
  
  # Print the artist's name for each of these albums:
  $sth = $dbh->prepare("SELECT * FROM artists WHERE artist_id = ?");
  foreach my $album ( @albums ) {
    $sth->execute( $album->{artist_id} );
    my ($artist) = $sth->fetchrow_hashref;
    print $artist->{name};
  }
  $sth->finish();

=head3 Creating

  # Create an artist:
  my $artist = App::db::artist->create( name => 'Bob Marley' );
  
  # These both do the same:
  print $artist->id;
  print $artist->artist_id;

=head3 List Context vs Scalar Context

If you execute a search method in list context, you get an array.  Executing a search
method in scalar context returns an iterator.

B<List Context>:

  my @albums = App::db::album->search( name => 'Legend' );

  my @albums = $artist->albums;

B<Scalar Context>:

  my $albums = App::db::album->search( name => 'Legend' );
  
  my $albums = $artist->albums;

Iterators can be worked through like this:

  while( my $album = $albums->next ) {
    # Work with $album:
    print $album->name;
  }
  
  # How many items are in the iterator?
  print $albums->count;

B<**NOTE:> Any C<has_many> extension methods are also considered 'search' methods,
so they will conform to this list/scalar context behavior as well.

=head3 Searching

Returns all results as objects of the correct type:

B<Basic Searching>

  my @albums = App::db::album->search( name => 'Legend' );
  my @albums = App::db::album->search(
    artist_id => $artist->id,
  );

B<Advanced Searching>

Advanced searching takes 1 or 2 parameters:

  App::db::album->search_where( { <args> }, [<order_by and limits>] );

Examples:

  my @albums = App::db::album->search_where({
    artist_id => { IN => [ 1, 2, 3 ] }
  });
  
  my @albums = App::db::album->search_where({
    name  => { LIKE => 'Lege%' }
  }, {
    order_by => 'name DESC LIMIT 0, 10'
  });

C<search_where> uses L<SQL::Abstract> to generate the SQL, so look there for more examples.

=head3 Counting

Sometimes you just need to know how many records match your query:

  my $count = App::db::album->count_search( name => 'Bob Marley' );

Using C<count_where> you can make more interesting queries:

  my $count = App::db::album->count_search_where({
    name  => { LIKE => 'Legen%' },
    artist_id => { IN => [ 1, 2, 3 ] }
  });

C<count_search_where> uses L<SQL::Abstract> to generate the SQL, so look there for more examples.

=head3 Updating

Example:

  my $artist = App::db::artist->create( name => 'Bob Marley' );
  
  # Change the name:
  $artist->name( 'Bob' );
  
  print $artist->name; # Bob
  
  # Save the changes to the database:
  $artist->update;

If you don't call C<update> after making changes to an object, you will get a warning that looks like this:

  My::Artist #1 DESTROY'd without saving changes to name

To cause the object to forget about any unsaved changes you made to it, do this:

  # Hit the reset button:
  $artist->discard_changes;

=head3 Deleting

Removes the item from the database instantly:

  $artist->delete;

It's the same as:

  my $sth = $dbh->prepare("DELETE FROM artists WHERE artist_id = ?");
  $sth->execute( 1 );
  $sth->finish();

=head1 INTERMEDIATE

=head2 Event Triggers

You can program triggers from within your application code.  These can be useful
but beware of mixing too much business logic in with your data logic.

=head3 before_create

  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( before_create => sub {
    my ($self) = @_;
    
    # Do something before we are created:
  });

=head3 after_create

  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( after_create => sub {
    my ($self) = @_;
    
    # Do something now that we've been created:
  });

=head3 before_update

  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( before_update => sub {
    my ($self) = @_;
    
    # Do something before we are updated:
  });

=head3 after_update

  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( after_update => sub {
    my ($self) = @_;
    
    # Do something now that we've been updated:
  });

=head3 before_delete

  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( before_delete => sub {
    my ($self) = @_;
    
    # Do something before we are deleted:
  });

=head3 after_delete

  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( after_delete => sub {
    my ($obj) = @_;
    
    # Obj only contains { artist_id => 1 }
    # Do something with $obj:
  });

=head2 Field Triggers

Sometimes you just want to add a trigger to a specific field.

=head3 before_update_<fieldname>

  package App::db::artist;
  ...
  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( before_update_name => sub {
    my ($self, $old_value, $new_value) = @_;
    
    warn "About to change this artist's name from '$old_value' to '$new_value'";
  });

=head3 after_update_<fieldname>

  package App::db::artist;
  ...
  __PACKAGE__->add_trigger( after_update_name => sub {
    my ($self, $old_value, $new_value) = @_;
    
    warn "Finished changing this artist's name from '$old_value' to '$new_value'";
  });

=head2 Transactions

This is how transactions are done with C<Class::DBI::Lite>:

  # Safely update the name of every album:
  eval {
    App::db::artist->do_transaction( sub {
    
      # Your transaction code goes here:
      my $artist = App::db::artist->retrieve( 1 );
      foreach my $album ( $artist->albums ) {
        $album->name( $artist->name . ': ' . $album->name );
        $album->update;
      }
    });
  };
  
  if( $@ ) {
    # There was an error:
    die $@;
  }
  else {
    # Everything was OK:
  }

=head2 Getting the Database Handle

You can get the normal database handle by calling C<db_Main> on any of your classes.

  my $dbh = App::db::artist->db_Main;

=head2 Custom SQL Queries:

You can call the C<sth_to_objects> method to convert a prepared statement into
objects of a pre-defined type:

  # Step 1: Prepare the statement:
  my $sth = App::db::artist->db_Main->prepare("SELECT * FROM artists WHERE name LIKE ?");
  
  # Step 2: Execute the statement:
  $sth->execute( 'Bob%' );
  
  # Step 3: Call sth_to_objects:
  my @artists = App::db::artist->sth_to_objects( $sth );

=head1 ADVANCED TOPICS

=head2 Running under mod_perl

C<Class::DBI::Lite> is fully-tested and works perfectly under C<mod_perl>.  Because
it uses L<Ima::DBI::Contextual> under the hood, you get all of its benefits.

=cut