DbFramework is a collection of classes for manipulating DBI databases.
The classes are loosely based on the CDIF Data Model Subject Area.

This module will help you to

 - Present data model objects (tables, columns) as HTML
 - Add persistency to your Perl objects
 - Manipulate DBI databases through an HTML forms interface

See the POD for further details.

Prerequisites
=============

 Perl 5.005
 Alias
 CGI
 URI::Escape
 DBI 1.06
 Text::FillIn
 Term::ReadKey

DbFramework has been successfully built and tested on (at least) the
following configurations.  In general the driver version is VERY
IMPORTANT as DbFramework makes use of some of the newer DBI metadata
methods which may only be implemented in development branches of
certain drivers.

 OS               Driver                     Database
 ================ ========================== ===================
 RedHat Linux 5.1 Msql-Mysql-modules-1.21_15 Mysql 3.22.14-gamma
                  Msql-Mysql-modules-1.21_15 Msql 2.0.8
                  DBD-Pg-0.91                PostgreSQL 6.4.2

Note that DBD::CSV is unlikely to be supported in the near future due
to the limitations of this driver.

Installation
============

 1) Ensure you have installed the prerequisites above.

 2)  perl Makefile.PL
       Select each DBD driver you wish to test DbFramework against.
     make
     make test
       You will need permission to create the databases 'dbframework_test'
       and 'dbframework_catalog' for each DBI driver you chose to test.
     make install

To use forms/dbforms.cgi, install it in a CGI directory then 'perldoc
forms/dbforms.cgi'.

[email protected]


History
=======

15-05-1999               Paul Sharpe          <[email protected]>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.10

Added support for PostgreSQL.

INTERFACE CHANGES
 PrimaryKey::
   - New method as_hidden_html()

30-04-1999               Paul Sharpe          <[email protected]>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.09

dbforms.cgi
 - Can now update primary keys.
 - Removed dependency on ePerl.
 - Now takes dsn arguments to cater for variance between DBDs.

INTERFACE CHANGES
 Catalog::
   - set_primary_key() now sets labels if defined in the catalog.
 DataModel::
   - New method dsn().
   - new() now requires name to be the database name as pattern match
     to get database name forgot that this part of a DBI DSN is *non
     standard*
   - init_db_metadata() now requires DSN for catalog as it varies
     between drivers.  Also now allows username/password for authentication
     against catalog database.
 ForeignKey::
   - New method sql_where().
 Makefile.PL
   - Moved most of the catalog initialisation here.
   - Manual creation of databases now required as there's no standard
     for creating databases.  Each driver can use an arbitrarily named
     database for testing.
 Persistent::
   - new() now requires a Catalog object.
   - update now takes %attributes argument so that a primary key can be
     updated.  The current object state is used to update the row WHERE the
     primary key matches the values in %attributes.
 PrimaryKey::
   - html_select_field() now has 'Any' *and* 'NULL' entries.  I have a
     feeling this still isn't quite right.
   - New method as_hidden_html()
   - Signature to new() has changed now that label columns are
     supported by the catalog.
   - html_select_field() now follows label columns which are foreign
     keys back to their associated primary key table and uses the label
     columns from that table.  This gives more meaningful select fields.
 Table::
   - init_db_metadata() now requires catalog object argument.  This
     should improve performance as a new catalog object (which involves a
     database connect()) won't be created every time this method is called.
   - in_foreign_key() now returns a list of foreign keys containing
     $attribute
 DataType::ANSII::
   - Signature to new() has changed.  Now requires $ansii_type
     argument.  All data type objects will need to return their closest
     ANSII types as this is the $type which needs to be supplied to
     $dbh->quote($value,$type).
   - New method ansii_type().

1-04-1999               Paul Sharpe           <[email protected]>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.08

BUG FIX
 - Test database wasn't being created which was causing tests to
   fail.

28-03-1999              Paul Sharpe           <[email protected]>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.07

Highlights
==========
 + Support for Msql (and potentially all DBI drivers.)
 + Improved template support.

= API
 Attribute::
   -- BUG FIXES
       - as_html_form_field() was producing invalid HTML for date fields.
   - as_html_heading() now takes $bgcolor argument.
 Catalog.pm (NEW CLASS)
 DataModel::
   - new() now takes data source name to move away from dependence on Mysql.
   - init_db_metadata() now needs to be called explicity (not called in
     new()).
   - New methods driver() and db().
 DataType::ANSII:: (NEW CLASS)
 DataType/Mysql:: (NEW CLASS)
 ForeignKey::
   -- BUG FIX
      - as_html_form_field() was using pk attribute names to select
        defaults in select field.  Should use fk attribute names.
 Table::
   - read_form now takes ($name,$path) arguments.
   - get_dbh() now takes data source name to move away from dependence on
     Mysql.
 Persistent::
   - New method init_pk()
   - New method table_qualified_attribute_hashref()
   - Removed method fill_template().  Templates now handled by Template.pm.
   - select() now takes extra argument $order.
 PrimaryKey::
   - New method as_query_string()
   - html_select_field() sets null value labels to the string 'NULL'.
 Table::
   -- BUG FIXES
     - insert() should only try to insert values which are defined.
     - Don't try to update columns where the value is undefined.
     - as_html_heading() required more specific pattern match.
     - Quoting in insert() and update() required type to correctly quote
       numeric fields.
     - new() was using wrong argument in belongs_to()

   - new() now takes optional DataModel argument
   - New method belongs_to()
   - get_attribute_names renamed attribute_names()
   - New method select_loh()
   - @columns in select() and select_loh() can contain references to
     database functions to be applied to the column.
   - removed methods set_templates(), read_form() and fill_templates()
     as template handling is now done in Template.pm
   - as_html_heading() now adds one heading for each key attribute.
   - insert() returns -1 for non auto increment columns.
 Template:: (NEW CLASS)
 Util::
   - Removed get_db() as it was Mysql specific.  The database name can
     be retrieved from DbFramework::DataModel::db
   - New sub do_sql()
   - get_dbh() now takes data source name to move away from
     dependence on Mysql.

= Makefile.PL configures drivers to test at 'make test' stage.

= dbforms.cgi
 - Now accepts DBI driver CGI parameter (default is Mysql.)

= Overhaul of test scripts.


12-1-1999                   Paul Sharpe                  <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.06

= UI
 Default input templates now produce 'datasheet' view.

= API
 Attribute::
   - New method as_html_heading()
 Key::
   - New method as_html_heading()
 PrimaryKey::
   - New method as_html_heading()
 Table::
   - New method as_html_heading()


6-1-1999                    Paul Sharpe                  <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.05

= INTERFACE
 Table
   - New method dbh($dbh) (added pod for AUTOLOAD() method)
   = Improved form and template support
     - new() now takes list of forms rather than template definitions and
       evals configuration from config.pl files.
     - New method read_form()
     - More pod
 - Default output templates now handle foreign keys by replacing them
   with columns from the related table.
 - <DbValue> template tag can now contain a list of attributes to be
   substituted for values.
 dbforms.cgi
   - fills values from related table for foreign keys in default
     output template.
   - Now handles user-defined forms.

18-Dec-1998                 Paul Sharpe                  <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.04

= INTERFACE
 ForeignKey
   - New method as_html_form_field(\%values)
 Table
   - as_html_form() now returns fields for foreign keys too.
   - fill_template() now creates selection boxes for <DbFKey> tags.

= dbforms.cgi
 New experimental UI separating search and modify.
 Catches and displays SQL errors.

11-Dec-1998                 Paul Sharpe                  <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.03
- Bug fixes.

11-Dec-1998                 Paul Sharpe                  <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.02
- dbforms.cgi HTML forms application
- Bug fixes: Table::select(), Attribute::as_html_form_field()
- INTERFACE
 *_h_byname() methods take an array rather than an arrayref
 Persistent
   - New method make_class()
   - New method fill_template()
   - New method as_html_form()
   - fill_template() now takes $name argument
 Table
   - New method in_foreign_key()
   - as_html_form() doesn't return <FORM></FORM> container so doesn't
     require $action argument.
   - New method in_key()
   - New method in_primary_key()
   - New method in_any_key()
   - New method non_key_attributes()
   - Removed method html_pk_select_field()
   - New attribute/methods HAS_FOREIGN_KEYS_H
   - fill_template() now supports <DbFKey table.name> placeholders.
 Key
   - New method belongs_to()
   - new() now takes a reference to a hash of templates.
   - fill_template() now takes a template name and reference to a hash of
     values.
   - templates() removed
   - New method set_templates()
   - New method bgcolor()
 Attribute
   - New method _input_template()
   - New method _output_template()
   - New method bgcolor()
 PrimaryKey
   - New method html_select_field()

26-Nov-1998                 Paul Sharpe                  <[email protected]>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE 1.01 (FIRST PUBLIC RELEASE)


To do
=====

* BUG: dbforms.cgi delete on row consisting of all foreign keys silently fails.

* Improve dbforms.cgi interface.  Perhaps a rename is in order too.
I'm thinking of having a single record interface with record
navigation.  The form can then be designed and specified as an
argument.

* Fri Jan 8, 1999
 BUG - >1 fk relating to the same pk table in a single table is not
      handled by dbforms.cgi

4/1/1999
 - User-defined templates specify attributes to be used for foreign keys
   and ordering
 - Allow relationships between the same table (in different roles).
   Needs documenting

* Make Bundle::DbFramework

* Schema grammar
 - might be better off using Jeeves (from the Panther book)
 - should handle relationships of degree >2
 - could be CDIF compliant

* Attributes of relationships should be stored so that full schema
 including attributes of relationships can be built from meta-data.

* add support for UNIQUE columns (different to ordinary KEYs)

* make primary key in grammar optional (1:1 relationships)

* make relationships optional in grammar

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