-sam

You might want to look at the CGI::Application POD (and the CGI::Application HomePage). This will explain how to use runmodes rather well. Also have a look at the example CGI::Application::Mailform.

Runmodes can either be passed on by a variable (usually named rm), or by $ENV{'PATH_INFO'}. See the documentation on mode_param().

It might help to specify your problem a little more in detail, for I -and I'm sure there are many other monks with me here- don't really get your "question".

I did work through the perldoc. I did build test scripts. I did bring the errors and issues I encountered to perlmonks, to the CGI::App list and to the relevant irc channel at the time.

http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=537687
http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=546793
http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=550276
http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=550504
where jdtoronto warned me off CGI::App w/ CGI::FB

That a tool works for many does not make it ideal for all. In the end I felt it was more important to deliver the requirements than to learn a complex new module.

CGI::App on its own may be a fine tool, but my efforts to combine it with CGI::App::Plugin::Authentication and CGI::FormBuilder proved a mistake I'm happy to be past. Cees Hek and others were very helpful responding to my questions.

But in the end, with the clock ticking and a client growing impatient, it became more important to deliver a working product than to write the most elegant code possible.

Ah, ok, sounds like you did lots of research and shared your results. And sometimes, for whatever reason, things just don't work out with a module and you need to role your own replacement. Your method of making the replacement compatible with the original is a great way to go. So I reduce my criticism of your earlier post to simply saying a pointer to the previous discussions would have been helpful.

I think that you problem was lack of time? Sometimes our brain simply needs some time to "digest" stuff. You may understand things, but untill you start using them - you can't say you know them.

I mean, if you were already used to CGI::Application, there wouldn't be a - would it?

---

Have you tried freelancing? Check out Scriptlance - I work there. For more info about Scriptlance and freelancing in general check out my home node.

become quite proficient with C::A.

I've done a good deal of work with C:A, and i've found myself consistently going back to the POD when i have a question.

I just had a lousy experience with CGI::Application where in order to get our project back on track I wound up ripping out CGI::Application and coding my own ->new(), ->run() and ->cgiapp_init() methods so the rest of the code I had built around CGI::App would work. I lost a day writing those three methods. But I had already lost two trying to work through the errors with CGI::App.

The CGI::App crowd would probably moan were they to see this code, but it works, was delivered in reasonably good time and bypassed some persistent errors I encountered with the CGI::App framework.

My ->run() method uses old fashioned conditionals to determine dispatch. This was written is such a way that if I was ever able to work through the errors with CGI::App, I could swap it in in place of the three methods I wrote.

Perhaps this would be helpful.

-- Hugh

sub run {
  my $self = shift;
  my $rm_arg = shift; # || 'RegForm';
  # my $reg_id = shift;
  my ($cfg,$dbh) = $self->cgiapp_init();
  my $session = new CGI::Session() or die CGI::Session->errstr;
  my $reg_id = $session->param("reg_id");
  my ($output,$method);
  my $q = new CGI;
  my $rm = $q->param('rm') || $rm_arg;
  ###l4p my $logger = Log::Log4perl->get_logger('RegForm.run');
  ###l4p $logger->debug(Dumper(\$self,\$q));
  ###l4p $logger->info("\$reg_id is $reg_id and \$rm is $rm.");

  ((defined ($q->param('_submitted_RegistrantForm'))) || ($rm eq '')) 
+|| die
     "  DISPAIR \$q->param('_submitted_Registrant Form') is undef \n";

  if(defined($q->param('_submitted_RegistrantForm')) && $q->param('_su
+bmit') eq "Proceed_to_Meals_and_Housing"){
    $rm = "RegistrantNeeds";
  } elsif( (defined($q->param('_submitted_RegistrantNeeds'))) && $q->p
+aram('_submit') eq "Proceed_to_Checkout"){
    $rm = "RegistrantNeeds";
  } elsif( (defined($q->param('_submitted_Checkout'))) && $q->param('_
+submit') eq "Recalculate_Invoice"){
    $rm = "Checkout";
  } elsif( (defined($q->param('_submitted_Checkout'))) && $q->param('_
+submit') eq "Proceed_to_Payment"){
    $rm = "Checkout";
    ###l4p $logger->info("\$reg_id is $reg_id and \$rm is $rm and we'r
+e dispatching to ->payment() run mode.");
  }

  my %run_modes = (
    'RegForm' => 'registrant_form',
    'RegistrantNeeds' => 'registrant_needs',
    'Checkout' => 'checkout',
    'Payment' => 'payment',
    'Thankyou' => 'thank_you',
    'Admin' => 'admin_screen',
  );
  print STDERR "->run() method defined %run_modes.\n";

  {
    no strict 'refs';
    $method = $run_modes{$rm};
  }

  (defined($reg_id )) && print STDERR "  near the end of run(), \$reg_
+id is $reg_id\n";
  (defined($reg_id )) || print STDERR "  near the end of run(), \$reg_
+id is undefined\n";
  if ($method eq '') {
    print STDERR "  oh NO!  undefining \$reg_id !\n";
    $method = 'registrant_form';
    undef($reg_id);
  }
  (defined($method )) || die " OUCH \$method is undefined in ->run()\n
+";

  (defined($reg_id) || $method eq 'registrant_form') ||
    die("\$reg_id is undefined, but a registrantID is
    required for runmode: ->$method().  This usually means
    that an additional tab or window has been opened to this
    application.  Please close all but your newest   
    invocation of this page and try again.\n");

  # print STDERR "->run() method about to pass control to $rm.\n";
  ###lp4 $logger->info("->run() method about to pass control to $rm.")
+;
  ($output,$reg_id) = $self->$method($cfg,$reg_id);
  ###l4p $logger->info("->run() method passed control to $rm which has
+ returned its output for \$reg_id # $reg_id.");
  # print STDERR "->run() method passed control to $rm which has retur
+ned its output for \$reg_id # $reg_id.\n";

  $session->param('reg_id',$reg_id);

  print $session->header();
  print $output;
  print STDERR "->run() method ready to return.\n";
  ###l4p $logger->info("->run() method ready to return processing for 
+$reg_id.");
  return;
}
[download]

I find your comments about CGI::Application less than helpful. You mention persistent errors but don't tell us what they were. If this were an untested module we could perhaps conclude from your posting that the module might have problems. But many people have had good success with it so we are left wondering whether you stumbled on an uncommon bug or whether you just didn't fully understand the module. If you think you've discovered a bug, why not post a SOPW and let us examine it so we can all learn from your experience. Leaving it at this rumor stage doesn't really help anyone.

I think you should seriously reconsider this approach. Ask for help on the errors you encountered (here on PM, or on the cgiapp mailing list, or even in #cgiapp on irc.perl.org). I promise you that cgiapp will make your life a lot easier than this blob of code.