NAME DBIx::ContextualFetch - Add contextual fetches to DBI SYNOPSIS my $dbh = DBI->connect(...., { RootClass => "DBIx::ContextualFetch" }); # Modified statement handle methods. my $rv = $sth->execute; my $rv = $sth->execute(@bind_values); my $rv = $sth->execute(\@bind_values, \@bind_cols); # In addition to the normal DBI sth methods... my $row_ref = $sth->fetch; my @row = $sth->fetch; my $row_ref = $sth->fetch_hash; my %row = $sth->fetch_hash; my $rows_ref = $sth->fetchall; my @rows = $sth->fetchall; my $rows_ref = $sth->fetchall_hash; my @tbl = $sth->fetchall_hash; DESCRIPTION It always struck me odd that DBI didn't take much advantage of Perl's context sensitivity. DBIx::ContextualFetch redefines some of the various fetch methods to fix this oversight. It also adds a few new methods for convenience (though not necessarily efficiency). SET-UP my $dbh = DBIx::ContextualFetch->connect(@info); my $dbh = DBI->connect(@info, { RootClass => "DBIx::ContextualFetch" }); To use this method, you can either make sure that everywhere you normall call DBI->connect() you either call it on DBIx::ContextualFetch, or that you pass this as your RootClass. After this DBI will Do The Right Thing and pass all its calls through us. EXTENSIONS execute $rv = $sth->execute; $rv = $sth->execute(@bind_values); $rv = $sth->execute(\@bind_values, \@bind_cols); execute() is enhanced slightly: If called with no arguments, or with a simple list, execute() operates normally. When when called with two array references, it performs the functions of bind_param, execute and bind_columns similar to the following: $sth->execute(@bind_values); $sth->bind_columns(undef, @bind_cols); In addition, execute will accept tainted @bind_values. I can't think of what a malicious user could do with a tainted bind value (in the general case. Your application may vary.) Thus a typical idiom would be: $sth->execute([$this, $that], [\($foo, $bar)]); Of course, this method provides no way of passing bind attributes through to bind_param or bind_columns. If that is necessary, then you must perform the bind_param, execute, bind_col sequence yourself. fetch $row_ref = $sth->fetch; @row = $sth->fetch; A context sensitive version of fetch(). When in scalar context, it will act as fetchrow_arrayref. In list context it will use fetchrow_array. fetch_hash $row_ref = $sth->fetch_hash; %row = $sth->fetch_hash; A modification on fetchrow_hashref. When in scalar context, it acts just as fetchrow_hashref() does. In list context it returns the complete hash. fetchall $rows_ref = $sth->fetchall; @rows = $sth->fetchall; A modification on fetchall_arrayref. In scalar context it acts as fetchall_arrayref. In list it returns an array of references to rows fetched. fetchall_hash $rows_ref = $sth->fetchall_hash; @rows = $sth->fetchall_hash; A mating of fetchall_arrayref() with fetchrow_hashref(). It gets all rows from the hash, each as hash references. In scalar context it returns a reference to an array of hash references. In list context it returns a list of hash references. ORIGINAL AUTHOR Michael G Schwern as part of Ima::DBI CURRENT MAINTAINER Tony Bowden LICENSE This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. SEE ALSO DBI. Ima::DBI. Class::DBI.