Provided by: libdata-phrasebook-perl_0.35-1_all 
NAME
Data::Phrasebook - Abstract your queries!
SYNOPSIS
use Data::Phrasebook;
my $q = Data::Phrasebook->new(
class => 'Plain',
loader => 'Text',
file => 'phrases.txt',
);
# simple keyword to phrase mapping
my $phrase = $q->fetch($keyword);
# keyword to phrase mapping with parameters
$q->delimiters( qr{ \[% \s* (\w+) \s* %\] }x );
my $phrase = $q->fetch($keyword,{this => 'that'});
DESCRIPTION
Data::Phrasebook is a collection of modules for accessing phrasebooks from various data
sources.
PHRASEBOOKS
To explain what phrasebooks are it is worth reading Rani Pinchuk's (author of
Class::Phrasebook) article on Perl.com:
<http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2002/10/22/phrasebook.html>
Common uses of phrasebooks are in handling error codes, accessing databases via SQL
queries and written language phrases. Examples are the mime.types file and the hosts file,
both of which use a simple phrasebook design.
Unfortunately Class::Phrasebook is a complete work and not a true class based framework.
If you can't install XML libraries, you cannot use it. This distribution is a
collaboration between Iain Truskett and myself to create an extendable and class based
framework for implementing phrasebooks.
CLASSES
In creating a phrasebook object, a class type is required. This class defines the nature
of the phrasebook or the behaviours associated with it. Currently there are two classes,
Plain and SQL.
The Plain class is the default class, and allows retrieval of phrases via the fetch()
method. The fetch() simply returns the phrase that maps to the given keyword.
The SQL class allows specific database handling. Phrases are retrieved via the query()
method. The query() method internally retrieves the SQL phrase, then returns the statement
handler object, which the user can then perform a prepare/execute/fetch/finish sequence
on. For more details see Data::Phrasebook::SQL.
CONSTRUCTOR
new
The arguments to new depend upon the exact class you're creating.
The default class is "Plain" and only requires the Loader arguments. The "SQL" class
requires a database handle as well as the Loader arguments.
The "class" argument defines the object class of the phrasebook and the behaviours that
can be associated with it. Using "Foobar" as a fake class, the class module is searched
for in the following order:
1. If you've subclassed "Data::Phrasebook", for example as "Dictionary", then
"Dictionary::Foobar" is tried.
2. If that failed, "Data::Phrasebook::Foobar" is tried.
3. If that failed, "Foobar" is tried.
4. If all the above failed, we croak.
This should allow you some flexibility in what sort of classes you use while not having
you type too much.
For other parameters, see the specific class you wish to instantiate. The class argument
is removed from the arguments list and the "new" method of the specified class is called
with the remaining arguments.
DELIMITERS
Delimiters allow for variable substitution in the phrase. The default style is
':variable', which would be passed as:
$q->delimiters( qr{ :(\w+) }x );
As an alternative, a Template Toolkit style would be passed as:
$q->delimiters( qr{ \[% \s* (\w+) \s* %\] }x );
DICTIONARIES
Simple Dictionaries
Data::Phrasebook supports the use of dictionaries. See the specific Loader module to see
how to implement the dictionary within your phrasebook. Using
Data::Phrasebook::Loader::Ini as an example, the dictionary might be laid out as:
[Stuff]
language=Perl
platform=Linux
[Nonsense]
platform=Windows
The phrasebook object is then created and used as:
my $q = Data::Phrasebook->new(
class => 'Plain',
loader => 'Ini',
file => 'phrases.ini',
dict => 'Nonsense',
);
my $language = $q->fetch('language'); # retrieves 'Perl'
my $platform = $q->fetch('platform'); # retrieves 'Windows'
The former is from the default (first) dictionary, and the second is from the named
dictionary ('Nonsense'). If a phrase is not found in the named dictionary an attempt is
made to find it in the default dictionary. Otherwise undef will be returned.
Once a dictionary or file is specified, changing either requires reloading. As this is
done at the loader stage, we need to let it know what it needs to reload. This can be done
with the either (or both) of the following:
$q->file('phrases2.ini');
$q->dict('Stuff');
A subsequent fetch() will then reload the file and dictionary, before retrieving the
phrase required. However, a reload only takes place if both the file and the dictionary
passed are not the ones currently loaded.
Multiple Dictionaries
As of version 0.25, the ability to provide prescendence over multiple dictionaries for the
same phrasebook. Using Data::Phrasebook::Loader::Ini again as an example, the phrasebook
might be laid out as:
[AndTheOther]
language=Perl
platform=Linux
network=LAN
[That]
platform=Solaris
network=WLAN
[This]
platform=Windows
The phrasebook object is then created and used as:
my $q = Data::Phrasebook->new(
class => 'Plain',
loader => 'Ini',
file => 'phrases.ini',
dict => ['This','That','AndTheOther'],
);
my $language = $q->fetch('language'); # retrieves 'Perl'
my $platform = $q->fetch('platform'); # retrieves 'Windows'
my $network = $q->fetch('nework'); # retrieves 'WLAN'
The first dictionary, if not specified and supported by the Loader module, is still used
as the default dictionary.
The dictionaries can be specified, or reordered, using the object method:
$q->dict('That','AndTheOther','This');
A subsequent reload will occur with the next fetch call.
DEDICATION
Much of the code for the original class framework is from Iain's original code. My code
was much simpler and was tied to using just an INI data source. Merging all the ideas and
code together we came up with this distribution.
Unfortunately Iain died in December 2003, so he never got to see or play with the final
working version. I can only thank him for his thoughts and ideas in getting this
distribution into a state worthy of release.
Iain Campbell Truskett (16.07.1979 - 29.12.2003)
SEE ALSO
Data::Phrasebook::Plain, Data::Phrasebook::SQL, Data::Phrasebook::SQL::Query,
Data::Phrasebook::Debug, Data::Phrasebook::Generic, Data::Phrasebook::Loader,
Data::Phrasebook::Loader::Text, Data::Phrasebook::Loader::Base.
SUPPORT
Please see the README file.
AUTHOR
Original author: Iain Campbell Truskett (16.07.1979 - 29.12.2003)
Maintainer: Barbie <barbie@cpan.org> since January 2004.
for Miss Barbell Productions <http://www.missbarbell.co.uk>.
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
Copyright (C) 2003 Iain Truskett.
Copyright (C) 2004-2013 Barbie for Miss Barbell Productions.
This distribution is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the Artistic License v2.