DBIx::Connect - DBI, DBIx::AnyDBD, and Alzabo database connection (info) via AppConfig
# .cshrc setenv APPCONFIG /Users/metaperl/.appconfig setenv DBIX_CONN "${APPCONFIG}-dbi" # .appconfig-dbi [basic] user = postgres pass = <STDIN> dsn = dbi:Pg:dbname=mydb attr RaiseError = 0 attr PrintError = 0 attr Taint = 1 # DBIx::AnyDBD usage: my @connect_data = DBIx::Connect->data_array('dev_db'); my $dbh = DBIx::AnyDBD->connect(@connect_data, "MyClass"); # Alzabo usage my %connect_data = DBIx::Connect->data_hash('dev_db'); # pure DBI usage use DBIx::Connect; my $dbh = DBIx::Connect->to('dev_db'); # over-ride .appconfig-dbi from the command line # not recommended for passwords as C<ps> will reveal the password perl dbi-script.pl basic -basic_user tim_bunce -basic_pass dbi_rocks perl dbi-script.pl basic -basic_attr "RaiseError=1" -basic_attr "Taint=0"
This module facilitates DBI -style, DBIx::AnyDBD -style, or Alzabo -style database connections for sites and applications which make use of AppConfig and related modules to configure their applications via files and/or command-line arguments.
It provides three methods, to, data_array, and data_hash which return a DBI database handle and an array of DBI connection info, respectively.
to
data_array
data_hash
Each of the 4 DBI connection parameters (username, password, dsn, attr) can be defined via any of the methods supported by AppConfig, meaning via a configuration file, or simple-style command-line arguments. AppConfig also provides support for both simple and Getopt::Long style, but Getopt::Long is overkill for a module this simple.
The only module similar to this on CPAN is DBIx::Password. Here are some points of comparison/contrast.
DBI configuration info location
DBIx::Password uses an autogenerated Perl module for its connection data storage. DBIx::Connect uses a Windows INI-style AppConfig file for its connection information.
The advantage of a config file is that each programmer can have his own config file whereas it could prove tedious for each programmer to have his own personal copy of a Perl configuration module.
Not to mention the fact that if each Perl module in your large application went this route, you would be stuck with n-fold Perl configuration modules as opposed to one centralized AppConfig file. For example, my module SQL::Catalog, used to use on-the-fly Config modules and Net::FTP::Common did as well.
Routes to configurability and password security
DBIx::Password DBI connection options (username, password, dsn, attr) are not over-ridable or settable at the command line. This means passwords must be stored in the configuration file and that efforts must be taken to make a module readable by a program not readable by a human.
In contrast, DBIx::Connect can add configuration information upon invocation via the command-line or via the read-from-STDIN-flag, <STDIN>, which will overwrite or set arguments which could have been in the configuration file, which means your passwords need not be stored on disk at all.
read-from-STDIN-flag
<STDIN
Support for indirect connection
vis-a-vis connection, DBIx::Password has one method, connect which returns a $dbh. While DBIx::Connect also supplies such a method (named to), it also supplies a data_hash and data_array method which can be passed to any other DBI connection scheme, the must ubiquitous of which are Alzabo and DBIx::AnyDBD, which handles connections for you after you give it the connection data.
connect
$dbh
I submitted a patch to the author of DBIx::Password to support such functionality, but it was rejected on the grounds that DBIx::Password is designed to secure connection data, not make it available in any form or fashion.
From now on, any module of mine which requires configuration info will use AppConfig to get it. I thought about using XML but a discussion on Perlmonks.Org and one on p5ee@perl.org both made strong arguments in favor of AppConfig.
None by default.
T. M. Brannon <tbone@cpan.org>
Patches from version 1.7 to 1.9 courtesy of Martin Jackson <mhjacks - NOSPAN - at - swbell - dot - net>
DBIx::Password AppConfig AppConfig::Std DBI Term::ReadKey
To install DBIx::Connect, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm
cpanm DBIx::Connect
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install DBIx::Connect
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.