Provided by: libprophet-perl_0.750-1_all 
NAME
Prophet::Manual - What Prophet is, how it works and how to use it
Introduction
What is Prophet?
Prophet is a new kind of database designed for the post Web-2.0 world. It's made to let
you collaborate with your friends and coworkers without needing any kind of special server
or Internet provider.
Prophet's buzzword-laden pitch reads something like this:
A grounded, semirelational, peer to peer replicated, disconnected, versioned, property database with self-healing conflict resolution.
Here is a slideshow describing why Prophet came about:
http://www.slideshare.net/obrajesse/web-20-is-sharecropping
<http://www.slideshare.net/obrajesse/web-20-is-sharecropping>
How does it work?
There are two ways to create a Prophet database: cloning and initing
One way is to clone an existing database. When you clone an existing database, a local
replica is created for you with the uuid of the cloned database.
Another way is to init a database. This creates a database with a new uuid. Anyone who
clones from this database will get a replica of the data and share the database uuid.
Note that Prophet will prevent you from merging databases unless they have the same
database uuid (although you can force the merge of different databases if you want).
A Prophet database is composed of records, each of which has several properties. Two core
properties are "type" and "uuid". A record's "type" indicates the kind of record (comment,
ticket, user, etc.) and the "uuid" of the record uniquely identifies it so that it can be
referenced elsewhere. Another core property is a record's "luid", which is a shorthand
identifier used for local identification. For example:
# Instead of specifying the uuid
ticket show e4e5f9d8-ff7a-40c1-8c7f-2d6fcdd859ed
# ...you can use the luid
ticket show 9
Record overview
The record object (Prophet::Record)
A record object in Prophet is initially an empty husk. First, the record class is found.
The default record class is Prophet::Record, but designating a custom class, one that
extends from Prophet::Record is possible. Once the record class is found, the object is
instantiated and passed the app_handle, handle, and type of the record. The record is now
ready for use.
Loading a record from the database
Once you have a record object configured with a type and uuid, you can load data from the
replica. This consists of asking the replica (handle) for the properties corresponding to
the given record type and uuid.
Currently, the record object does not actually store any data. Rather, it acts as a proxy
to the replica.
Saving a record to the database
There is no save method corresponding to load. Properties are immediately saved to the
replica once they are set.
Before properties are sent to the replica, the record object is responsible for
canonicalizing and validating them.
Definining a property: declaring, defaulting, and recommending
You can declare properties for a record by defining a "declared_props" routine for a
record. The routine should return a list of properties declared for the record type. Don't
forget to return inherited properties! Here is an example:
sub declared_props {
return ('email', shift->SUPER::declared_props(@_))
}
Prophet knows how to default a property by looking for a "default_prop_$prop" method in
the record class. If it finds one, it will pass the properties (not just the property to
be defaulted) through in the form of a hashref. The returned value is the default value
for the property. The default method is NOT triggered if the property value is already
defined (not undef)
Generating property defaults takes place during record creation.
You can also recommend values for a property. Recommending values for a property is mainly
used for validation. To recommend values for a property, define a
"_recommended_values_for_prop_$prop" routine in your record class. The routine should
return a list of which is the range of values for the property. Here is an example of how
SD uses value recommending to validate:
# A globally defined "statuses" setting is specified in App::SD
sub database_settings {
...
statuses => ['24183C4D-EFD0-4B16-A207-ED7598E875E6' => qw/new open stalled closed rejected/],
...
}
...
# App::SD::Model::Ticket uses the "statuses" setting for recommended values
sub _recommended_values_for_prop_status {
return @{ shift->app_handle->setting( label => 'statuses' )->get() };
}
...
# App::SD::Model::Ticket uses the recommended values for "status" to validate
sub validate_prop_status {
my ( $self, %args ) = @_;
return $self->validate_prop_from_recommended_values( 'status', \%args );
}
Property canonicalization
Property canonicalization makes sure a property is in the right format. It includes
trimmming leading and trailing whitespace, making sure text is in the right case, and
more.
Prophet knows how to canonicalize a property by looking for a "canonical_prop_$prop"
method in the record class. If it finds one, it will pass the properties (not just the
named property) through in the form of a hashref to be canonicalized.
Property validation
Property validation makes sure a property has a valid value before committing it to the
replica.
Prophet knows how to validate a property by looking for a "validate_prop_$prop" method in
the record class. If it finds one, it will pass the properties (not just the named
property) through in the form of a hashref to be validated.
If the validation routine makes note of an error, Prophet will abort with an exception
(die).
You can also ask Prophet to validate a property based on recommended values.
Glossary
Record
A record is a collection of properties (much like an SQL table is a collection of
columns). A record must have a type and uuid. It may also have an luid, which is like a
uuid but only valid for the local environment/replica.
Property
A property is a name/value pair associated with a record.
Collection
A collection is used to search for and operate on records matching certain criteria.
Replica (WIP)
The database that a Prophet application works from. The local state of all the data.
Alice keeps her most recent fetch of the database in her replica. The global state of all
the data. The latest data that Alice and Bob have committed are in the database.
FAQ
Why doesn't Prophet use git or svn to track changes?
The short answer: "The way you want to handle changes in a codebase (for source code) are
very different than the way you want to handle changes in a database (for records and
properties)"
Does Prophet currently do sub-property (content-level) diffing?
No it does not... yet. However, the conflict resolution in Prophet is pluggable, so it's a
possibility
What do "app_handle" and "handle" refer to? What's the difference between them?
"app_handle" is a reference to your application object, like an instance of "MyApp.pm"
that extends from "Prophet::App"
If you're familliar with Catalyst, you'll recognize it as being similar to the $catalyst
instance
"handle" is a reference to your repository "database", depending on what kind of Replica
you're using
If you're familliar with DBI, you'll recognize it as the database handle that is returned
when you connect to a database via "DBI->connect"
How is Prophet different from something like Google Gears or Adobe Air?
While Gears and Air allow you to take cloud applications offline, they don't solve the
data merging/synchronization problem.
<Insert something here about Gears/Air being based in JavaScript/Flash and Prophet not
having that limitation>
How does Prophet ensure that synchronized/shared data is valid?