CGI::A...spatch(3pm)

💖 CGI::Application::Plugin::ActionDispatch — the manual, but make it cute 💖

okay bestie, gather round, because this is CGI::Application::Plugin::ActionDispatch from the perl manual pages (the 3pm one, you know the vibe) and it's genuinely so good. Perl extension, attribute-based routing, Catalyst girlies will recognize the energy. let's go ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

CGI::Application::Plugin::ActionDispatch — a Perl extension. that's it, that's the name, no notes 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

so in your WebApp.pm, you're gonna do this:

# In "WebApp.pm"...
package WebApp;

use base 'CGI::Application';
use CGI::Application::Plugin::ActionDispatch;

sub do_stuff : Path('do/stuff') { ... }
sub do_more_stuff : Regex('^/do/more/stuff\/?$') { ... }
sub do_something_else : Regex('do/something/else/(\w+)/(\d+)$') { ... }

like. look at that. attributes doing the routing. we love to see it 🦋

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so what this plugin does: CGI::Application::Plugin::ActionDispatch adds attribute based support for parsing the PATH_INFO of the incoming request. if you've ever touched Catalyst, this interface works very similar — so if you're a Catalyst girlie, hi, you already know 🫶

and the best part? this plugin is plug and play. it shouldn't interrupt the default behavior of CGI::Application. no cap. it just slides in and does its thing 💅

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💀 CAVEATS 💀

be aware though — this plugin will not likely work with other modules that use attributes. sharing is not always caring, bestie.

this module should work with mod_perl. however it has not been thoroughly tested as such. so like... proceed with caution, it's giving untested 🙈

if you have used it with mod_perl, please e-mail the author with your experience! he wants to know, fr fr 📧

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👑 METHODS 👑

🌈 action_args()

if you're using capturing parentheses in a Regex action, the captured values are accessible using this method. so like:

sub addElement : Regex('add/(\d+)/(\d+)') {
  my $self = shift;
  my($column, $row) = $self->action_args();
  ...
}

and the Path action? it will store everything after the matched path into the action args. obsessed.

# http://example.com/state/pa/philadelphia
sub find_state_and_city : Path('state/') {
  my $self = shift;
  my($state, $city) = $self->action_args();
      # $state == pa, $city == philadelphia
  ...
}

like it literally hands you pa and philadelphia on a silver platter. main character energy 🌟

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🔥 ACTIONS 🔥

⭐ Regex

Regex action is used for regular expression matching against PATH_INFO. if capturing parentheses are used, the matched parameters are accesssible using the action_args() method. (yes, "accesssible" — the original says it like that, and honestly? iconic. keeping it 💖)

Regex('^blah/foo');

the Regex action either matches or it doesn't. there are no secrets to it. it's giving straightforward, no drama 💅

it is important to note that Regex action takes priority. it is assumed if a Path and Regex action both match, the Regex action will take priority — which may not always be the outcome of least suprise, for instance:

# http://example.com/music/the_clash
sub clash : Path('/music/the_clash') {} # This is an exact match, BUT.
sub the_class : Regex('/music/the_clash') {} # This takes priority.
Beware.

so yeah. your exact Path match can get sniped by a Regex match. Beware. 😭 that's not a vibe check you want to fail.

🌸 Path

the Path action is basically a shortcut for a commonly used Regex action. lowkey the friendliest one here.

# http://example.com/products/movies/2
sub show_product : Path('products/') {
  my $self = shift;
  my($category, $id) = $self->action_args();
  ....
}

is basically the same thing as:

sub show_product : Regex('^/products/(\w+)/(\d+)') {
  my $self = shift;
  my($category, $id) = $self->action_args();
  ...
}

and for those that care (the nerds, the scholars, the real ones), the Path('products/') will be converted to the regular expression "^/products\/?(\/.*)$"; then split('/') is run on the captured value and stored in action_args(). periodt 🎀

🦋 Runmode

this action will take the method name and run a match on that.

# http://example.com/foobar

sub foobar : Runmode {}

name of the method = the thing it matches. simple, clean, ate ✨

💜 Default

the default run mode if no match is found. essentially the equivalent of the start_mode() method. it's the "if all else fails, come here" runmode, the emotional support runmode 🫶

sub default_mode : Default {}

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🌈 EXAMPLE 🌈

in the CGI::Application module:

package WebApp;

use base 'CGI::Application';
use CGI::Application::Plugin::ActionDispatch;
use strict;

sub setup {
  my $self = shift;
  self->mode_param('test_rm');
  $self->run_modes(
    basic_runmode => 'basic_runmode'
  );
}

# Regular runmodes should work.
sub basic_runmode {
  my $self = shift
}

good news bestie: regular runmodes should work. no disruption, we respect the classics 💖

the product() runmode will match anything starting with "/products" in the PATH_INFO.

# http://example.com/myapp.cgi/products/this/is/optional/and/stored/in/action_args/
sub product : Path('products/') {
  my $self = shift;
  my($category, $product) = $self->action_args();
}

the music() runmode will match anything starting with "/products/music" in the PATH_INFO. the product() runmode also matches "/products/music". however, since this runmode matches closer, it takes priority over product(). the specificity slay 🎯

# http://example.com/myapp.cgi/products/music/product/
sub music : Path('products/music/') {
  my $self = shift;
  my $product = $self->action_args();
  ...
}

this beatles() runmode will match ONLY "/product/music/beatles" or "/product/music/beatles/". Regex takes priority over Path, so the previous runmodes which match this PATH_INFO are not run. like, they're seated, they're not getting called 💅

# http://example.com/myapp.cgi/products/music/beatles/
sub beatles : Regex('^/products/music/beatles\/?')  {
  my $self = shift;
  ...
}

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🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

• CGI::Application
• CGI::Application::Dispatch
• http://github.com/jaywhy/cgi-application-plugin-actiondispatch

go read the source, bestie, iykyk 👑

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💖 AUTHOR 💖

Jason Yates, <jaywhy@gmail.com>

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📜 COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE 📜

Copyright (C) 2006-2008 by Jason Yates

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.7 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.

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and that's the whole manual, bestie!! you ate. no crumbs. 💅✨

this page came to you from perl v5.34.0, dated 2022-06-09, and it lives under CGI::A...spatch(3pm) (yes the title's truncated, the man page headers have no chill). now go write some attributes and slay 🎀🦋💜