User::Identity::Archive::Plain(User Contributed Perl DocumentaUser::Identity::Archive::Plain(3pm)



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

INHERITANCE
        User::Identity::Archive::Plain
          is a User::Identity::Archive
          is a 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.

       Extends "DESCRIPTION" in User::Identity::Archive.

OVERLOADED
       Extends "OVERLOADED" in User::Identity::Archive.

METHODS
       Extends "METHODS" in User::Identity::Archive.

   Constructors
       Extends "Constructors" in User::Identity::Archive.

       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
       Extends "Attributes" in User::Identity::Archive.

       $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()
           Inherited, see "Attributes" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->name( [NEWNAME] )
           Inherited, see "Attributes" in User::Identity::Item

   Collections
       Extends "Collections" in User::Identity::Archive.

       $obj->add(COLLECTION, ROLE)
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->addCollection(OBJECT | ([TYPE], OPTIONS))
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->collection(NAME)
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->find(COLLECTION, ROLE)
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->parent( [PARENT] )
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->removeCollection(OBJECT|NAME)
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->type()
       User::Identity::Archive::Plain->type()
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

       $obj->user()
           Inherited, see "Collections" in User::Identity::Item

   Access to the archive
       Extends "Access to the archive" in User::Identity::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 AT overmeer.net
             location home
          email work
             address  solutions AT overmeer.bet

        email tux
           address tux AT 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 AT 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 AT 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 AT fish.aq
              location #mind_the_hash

       is equivalent to:

        user markov
           email home
              address tux AT 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 0.94, built on January 24, 2014.
       Website: http://perl.overmeer.net/userid/

LICENSE
       Copyrights 2003-2014 by [Mark Overmeer <perl AT 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



perl v5.18.2                                2014-01-24        User::Identity::Archive::Plain(3pm)