[Catalyst] Multi-language and REST

[Christopher H. Laco]

Ian Docherty wrote:
> Christopher H. Laco wrote:
>> Ian Docherty wrote:
>>> I have been pondering how to take an existing Catalyst application =

>>> and make it multi-lingual.
>>>
>>> I would prefer to use a RESTful method, so this would translate =

>>> /foo/bar to /en/foo/bar or /fr/foo/bar (for English and French =

>>> respectively).
>>>
>>> The problem as I see it is how to do this. I don't want to move all =

>>> my controllers, e.g. MyApp::Controller::Foo::Bar to =

>>> MyApp::Controller::Lang::Foo::Bar
>>>
>>> What other alternatives are there?
>>>
>>> Regards
>>> Ian
>>
>> Well, I'm sure there's a somewhat elegant way to do this with Chained, =

>> but it the other controllers don't use Chained now, that could get fun.
> I have considered chained, and would be prepared to re-write the =

> existing controllers. A bigger decision would be renaming the =

> controllers or moving them.
> =

> e.g. existing MyApp::Controller::Foo::Bar maps to URI /foo/bar
> =

> To match against /<lang>/foo/bar either I can leave the controller where =

> it is (lib/MyApp/Controller/Foo/Bar.pm) or move it =

> (lib/MyApp/Controller/Lang/Foo/Bar)
> =

> The first approach is less work (only using chained) the second is more =

> work, but maps the URI namespace more logically to the Class names.
> =

> What would people do if they were writing a Catalyst App from scratch =

> with this feature? That would tell me what the 'best practice' is even =

> if it means a big re-write exercise.
>>
>> The brute force way is to inspect the request and rip out the language =

>> portion before sending it on to get dispatched...just like the Flavour =

>> plugin does with file extensions:
>>
>> sub prepare_path {}
> One of my pet peeves  is exemplified in the 'Flavour' plugin. It is such =

> minimal documentation that it neither tells you what it does or why it =

> does it. OK, I can look at the code, but it is too much effort unless I =

> think I have a good reason to do so. I assume in this case that it is =

> something to do with date strings in the URI (for blogging?). I can't be =

> ar**d!
> =

> =


It does just what just what Bill suggested.

"I check if the prefix is a valid language (if it's one of the language
files I loaded at startup), if so I then remove it from the request
path and append it to the request base."

In prepare_path.. you inspect the requested path.. yank out the =

language.. then pass along the remaining path...which should map to your =

existing controllers just fine.

As far as chained goes... I thought there was an example floating around =

that has Root::lang as Chained, then all other modules Chaine against =

/lang as their root instead of /...

-=3DChris

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