User::Identity::Archive::Plain(3p)

NAME
User::Identity::Archive::Plain - simple, plain text archiver

INHERITANCE
 User::Identity::Archive::Plain
   is an User::Identity::Archive
   is an User::Identity::Item

SYNOPSIS
 use User::Identity::Archive::Plain;
 my $friends = User::Identity::Archive::Plain->new('friends');
 $friends->from(\*FH);
 $friends->from('.friends');

DESCRIPTION
This archiver, which extends User::Identity::Archive, uses a very simple plain text file to store the information of users. The syntax is described in the DETAILS section, below.

OVERLOADED

METHODS

  Constructors
User::Identity::Archive::Plain->new([NAME], OPTIONS)

 Option       --Defined in     --Default
 abbreviations                   []
 description    User::Identity::Item  undef
 from           User::Identity::Archive  undef
 name           User::Identity::Item  <required>
 only                            []
 parent         User::Identity::Item  undef
 tabstop                         8

    . abbreviations => HASH|ARRAY

        Adds a set of abbreviations for collections to the syntax of the plain text archiver. See section "Simplified class names" for a list of predefined names.

    . description => STRING

    . from => FILEHANDLE|FILENAME

    . name => STRING

    . only => ARRAY|ABBREV

        Lists the only information (as (list of) abbreviations) which should be read. Other information is removed before even checking whether it is a valid abbreviation or not.

    . parent => OBJECT

    . tabstop => INTEGER

        Sets the default tab-stop width.

  Attributes
$obj->abbreviation(NAME, [CLASS])

    Returns the class which is capable of storing information which is grouped as NAME. With CLASS argument, you add (or overrule) the definitions of an abbreviation. The CLASS is automatically loaded.

    If CLASS is "undef", then the abbreviation is deleted. The class name which is deleted is returned.

$obj->abbreviations

    Returns a sorted list of all names which are known as abbreviations.

$obj->defaultTabStop([INTEGER])

    Returns the width of a tab, optionally after setting it. This must be the same as set in your editor.

$obj->description

    See "Attributes" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->name([NEWNAME])

    See "Attributes" in User::Identity::Item

  Collections
$obj->add(COLLECTION, ROLE)

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->addCollection(OBJECT | ([TYPE], OPTIONS))

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->collection(NAME)

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->find(COLLECTION, ROLE)

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->parent([PARENT])

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->removeCollection(OBJECT|NAME)

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->type

User::Identity::Archive::Plain->type

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

$obj->user

    See "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

  Access to the archive
$obj->from(FILEHANDLE|FILENAME|ARRAY, OPTIONS)

    Read the plain text information from the specified FILEHANDLE, FILENAME, STRING, or ARRAY of lines.

     Option --Default
     tabstop  <default from object>
     verbose  0

    . tabstop => INTEGER

    . verbose => INTEGER

DETAILS

  The Plain Archiver Format
Simplified class names

It is too much work to specify full class named on each spot where you want to create a new object with data. Therefore, abbreviations are introduced. Use new(abbreviations) or abbreviations() to add extra abbreviations or to overrule some predefined.

Predefined names:
  user User::Identity
  email Mail::Identity
  location User::Identity::Location
  system User::Identity::System
  list User::Identity::Collection::Emails

It would have been nicer to refer to a person in stead of a user, however that would add to the confusion with the name-space.

Indentation says all

The syntax is as simple as possible. An extra indentation on a line means that the variable or class is a collection within the class on the line before.

 user markov
   location home
      country NL
   email home
      address  mark@overmeer.net
      location home
   email work
      address  solutions@overmeer.bet

 email tux
    address tux@fish.net

The above defines two items: one User::Identity named "markov", and an e-mail address "tux". The user has two collections: one contains a single location, and one stores two e-mail addresses.

To add to the confusion: the "location" is defined as field in "email" and as collection. The difference is easily detected: if there are indented fields following the line it is a collection. Mistakes will in most cases result in an error message.

Long lines

If you want to continue on the next line, because your content is too large, then add a backslash to the end, like this:

 email home
    description This is my home address,     \
                But I sometimes use this for \
                work as well
    address tux@fish.aq

Continuations do not play the game of indentation, so what you also can do is:

 email home
    description               \
 This is my home address,     \
 But I sometimes use this for \
 work as well
    address tux@fish.aq

The fields "comment" and "address" must be correctly indented. The line terminations are lost, which is useful for most fields. However, if you need them, you have to check the description of the applicable field.

Comments

You may add comments and white spaces. Comments start with a '#' as first non-blank character on the line. Comments are not allowed on the same line as real data, as some languages (like Perl) permit.

You can insert comments and blank lines on all places where you need them:

 user markov

    # my home address
    email home

       # useless comment statement
       address tux@fish.aq
       location #mind_the_hash

is equivalent to:

 user markov
    email home
       address tux@fish.aq
       location #mind_the_hash

References

Often you will have the need to add the same information to two items, for instance, multiple people share the same address. In this case, you can create a reference. However, this is only permitted for whole items: you can refer to someone's location, but not to the person's street.

To create a reference to an item of someone else, use

 user markov
    location home = user(cleo).location(home)
    location work
       organization   MARKOV Solutions

Configuration parameters

You can add some configuration lines as well. On the moment, the only one defined is

 tabstop = 4

which can be used to change the meaning of tabs in the file. The default setting is 8, but some people prefer 4 (or other values).

DIAGNOSTICS
Error: $object is not a collection.

    The first argument is an object, but not of a class which extends User::Identity::Collection.

Error: Cannot load collection module for $type ($class).

    Either the specified $type does not exist, or that module named $class returns compilation errors. If the type as specified in the warning is not the name of a package, you specified a nickname which was not defined. Maybe you forgot the 'require' the package which defines the nickname.

Warning: Cannot read archive from $source

Error: Creation of a collection via $class failed.

    The $class did compile, but it was not possible to create an object of that class using the options you specified.

Error: Don't know what type of collection you want to add.

    If you add a collection, it must either by a collection object or a list of options which can be used to create a collection object. In the latter case, the type of collection must be specified.

Warning: No collection $name

    The collection with $name does not exist and can not be created.

SEE ALSO
This module is part of User-Identity distribution version 0.92, built on July 25, 2007. Website: http://perl.overmeer.net/userid/

LICENSE
Copyrights 2003,2004,2007 by Mark Overmeer <perl@overmeer.net>. For other contributors see Changes.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. See http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html