NAME

Class::Accessor::Lite - a minimalistic variant of Class::Accessor

SYNOPSIS

    package MyPackage;

    use Class::Accessor::Lite (
        new => 1,
        rw  => [ qw(foo bar) ],
        ro  => [ qw(baz) ],
        wo  => [ qw(hoge) ],
    );

DESCRIPTION

The module is a variant of "Class::Accessor". It is fast and requires less typing, has no dependencies to other modules, and does not mess up the @ISA.

THE USE STATEMENT

The use statement (i.e. the "import" function) of the module takes a single hash as an argument that specifies the types and the names of the properties. Recognises the following keys.

new => $true_or_false: the default constructor is created if the value evaluates to true, otherwise nothing is done (the default behaviour)
rw => \@name_of_the_properties: creates a read / write accessor for the name of the properties passed through as an arrayref
ro => \@name_of_the_properties: creates a read-only accessor for the name of the properties passed through as an arrayref
wo => \@name_of_the_properties: creates a write-only accessor for the name of the properties passed through as an arrayref

For more detailed explanation read the following section describing the behaviour of each function that actually creates the accessors.

FUNCTIONS

As of version 0.04 the properties can be specified as the arguments to the "use" statement (as can be seen in the SYNOPSIS) which is now the recommended way of using the module, but for compatibility the following functions are provided as well.

Class::Accessor::Lite->mk_accessors(@name_of_the_properties)

Creates an accessor in current package under the name specified by the arguments that access the properties (of a hashref) with the same name.

Class::Accessor::Lite->mk_ro_accessors(@name_of_the_properties)

Same as mk_accessors() except it will generate read-only accessors (i.e. true accessors). If you attempt to set a value with these accessors it will throw an exception.

Class::Accessor::Lite->mk_wo_accessors(@name_of_the_properties)

Same as mk_accessors() except it will generate write-only accessors (i.e. mutators). If you attempt to read a value with these accessors it will throw an exception.

Class::Accessor::Lite->mk_new()

Creates the "new" function that accepts a hash or a hashref as the initial properties of the object.

Class::Accessor::Lite->mk_new_and_accessors(@name_of_the_properties)

DEPRECATED. Use the new "use Class::Accessor::Lite (...)" style.

FAQ

Can I use "Class::Accessor::Lite" in an inherited module?

Yes in most cases, when the class object in the super class is implemented using a hashref. However you _should_ _not_ create the constructor for the inherited class by calling "<Class::Accessor::Lite-"new()>> or by "<use Class::Accessor::Lite (new =" 1)>>. The only other thing that "Class::Accessor::Lite" does is to set up the accessor functions for given property names through a blessed hashref.

What happens when passing more than one arguments to the accessor?

When the accessor built by Class::Accessor::Lite is given more than one arguments, a reference to the arguments will be saved as an arrayref. This behaviour might not be necessary but is implemented as is to maintain compatibility with Class::Accessor::Fast.

    my @data = (1, 2, 3);
    $obj->someproperty(@data);

    $obj->someproperty->[2]++; # $data[3] is incremented

In general, you should pass an arrayref to set an arrayref to a property.

    my @data = (1, 2, 3);
    $obj->someproperty([ @data ]); # save a copy using arrayref

    $obj->someproper->[2]++; # @data is not modified

AUTHORS

LICENSE

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.8.6 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.