Catalyst, run "auto" action from special controller in other - perl

Question

for example, I have a controller with "auto":
package Controller::User;
sub auto :Private {
my ($self, $c) = #_;
$c->log->debug('Hello!');
return 1;
}
I want to use this auto method automatically in another controllers (but not in all). Let say, in Controller::My, Controller::Dashboard etc.
And also I have different controllers I don't need to use this "auto" action.
Is it possible to "inherit" this action from special controller inside another one?

Answer 1

I would assume you can put your auto method in a base controller and inherit from there in the controllers you want to have the method:
https://metacpan.org/pod/Catalyst::Manual::ExtendingCatalyst#Controllers
You might also be able to use a controller role that just contains your auto method and apply it to any of the controllers you want to:
http://www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2011/10

Answer 2

Since Catalyst uses Moose, and Catalyst::Controller objects are Moose objects, you can use Moose roles with them.
package Hello::DebugRole;
use Moose::Role;
use MooseX::MethodAttributes::Role;
sub auto :Private {
my ($self, $c) = #_;
$c->log->debug('Hello!');
return 1;
}
1;
We need MooseX::MethodAttributes::Role to enable the CODE attributes. Without that, it dies at execution time, and if we ommit the :Private, Catalyst does not see it as an action, but as a local method instead.
This approach makes sense because you can have your auto action defined in one place, which is nicely DRY, and you completely reuse that code in all places where you want it.
Now you can use that in all the controllers you want. Just put it in the BEGIN block.
package Hello::Controller::User;
use Moose;
use namespace::autoclean;
BEGIN { extends 'Catalyst::Controller'; with 'Hello::DebugRole'; }
If I navigate to that controller, the log will look like this:
[debug] Path is "user"
[debug] "GET" request for "user/" from "127.0.0.1"
[debug] Hello!
[debug] Response Code: 200; Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8; Content-Length: unknown
[info] Request took 0.010909s (91.667/s)
.------------------------------------------------------------+-----------.
| Action | Time |
+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
| /user/auto | 0.000237s |
| /user/index | 0.000152s |
| /end | 0.000394s |
'------------------------------------------------------------+-----------'
[info] *** Request 2 (0.286/s) [24045] [Wed Jan 6 16:16:15 2016] ***
But if I navigate to the Foobar controller instead, there is no auto action, and no Hello!.
[info] *** Request 3 (0.250/s) [24045] [Wed Jan 6 16:16:20 2016] ***
[debug] Path is "foobar"
[debug] "GET" request for "foobar/" from "127.0.0.1"
[debug] Response Code: 200; Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8; Content-Length: unknown
[info] Request took 0.007135s (140.154/s)
.------------------------------------------------------------+-----------.
| Action | Time |
+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+
| /foobar/index | 0.000181s |
| /end | 0.000179s |
'------------------------------------------------------------+-----------'
Note that Catalyst will call auto actions of all controllers involved, so it will also do the Root controller's auto if there is one in all requests.