[Catalyst] RFC: New to Catalyst questions

[Octavian Râsnita]

Good idea.

I think that many beginners find hard to learn Catalyst if they are coming 
from another framework, or even worse, from CGI.pm, because right after they 
begin, they need to learn DBIx::Class, Template-Toolkit, YAML or 
Config::General, and they might not understand very fast if a certain piece 
of text is a Catalyst code, or a DBIC one or something else.

So I think a good tutorial should start without using DBIC or a 
configuration file, and without using a view and a model.

It should be that kind of example that "You shouldn't do this, but it is 
ment for understanding Catalyst easier".

So the first MyApp.pm should use only the Root.pm controller, and print a 
very short of html text using $c->response->body().

The next sample should upgrade that example and show how Catalyst gets the 
parameters from a form, almost like CGI.pm does, and print the body in the 
same way, using the same warning that this code is not one that should be 
used.

The next example should upgrade that sample app and tell why a view is 
needed, and how Catalyst can be used to forward to a certain view, tell how 
to configure a default view in MyApp.pm, and print the body using a view, 
but without using TT.

The next example should show the advantage of using templates, introduce the 
TT view, the TT helper that creates the view automaticly, and print the page 
using a single .tt file, or a very small number of templates that create the 
page.

There could be another sample that shows what kind of "another view" can be 
used to print the same content in a different way by just forwarding to it.

Then maybe there would be good to introduce the configuration file, show how 
to use Config::General and why it is useful to use a config file.

After the beginner started to understand how Catalyst works, how the actions 
work... the basic ones like Local, Index, Default, Private, Auto, introduce 
the model, and show a simple model that puts and gets the data in a more 
simple way, not by using DBI or DBIC.
For example, it could open() a file and store the information to it.

Then the model that should be teached should be the one that uses DBI, and 
show the user that he can have a $dbh object in any action, without needing 
to connect to the database by specifying each time the database name, 
username, password and other options.

And only after the user will understand how Catalyst works, what means a 
model, teach them DBIx::Class which is pretty hard to understand if it is 
taught together with Catalyst without knowing any of them.

Maybe here would be good a suggestion to stop and read a DBIx::Class 
tutorial, for understanding that module outside Catalyst, and understand 
even better which are the features offered by Catalyst and which are the 
ones offered by DBIC.

Then... it could be much easier to understand how the 
authentication/authorization that uses DBIC works and other Catalyst 
features.

It might sound too stupid, but for a beginner it should sound very stupid, 
and he should find it very easy to understand, with very little things to 
learn on each step, and finally he will see that he knows how to use 
Catalyst with its most important features.

I also think that the explanation should be simple to understand even for 
those who don't know Perl at all.

Octavian

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jay Kuri" <jayk at ion0.com>
To: <catalyst at lists.scsys.co.uk>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 10:32 PM
Subject: [Catalyst] RFC: New to Catalyst questions


> Hello,
>
> So all this 'too many choices' talk has got me thinking.  I'd like to
> put together some more web-available information for those
> transitioning to catalyst from other methods.
>
> To that end I'm soliciting your thoughts on things that you found
> particularly hard to get a grip on when you started using catalyst.
> (or that you are currently having trouble with)
>
> My intent is to pick the ones that are needed most and write them up
> (or sponsor).
>
> My working list is as follows (in no particular order.)
>
> 1) 'Getting' DBIx::Class (starting from a straight SQL-users point of
> view)
>
> 2) Basic Cat toolkit - the basic pieces you will want to produce your
> average web app.
>
> 3) Walkthrough of creation of a simple app end to end.
>
> Any others?
>
> Jay
>
>
>
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