Video::TeletextDB 0.02

Video::TeletextDB is Perl extension to manage a telextext database.

SYNOPSIS

use Video::TeletextDB;

$tele_db = Video::TeletextDB->new(%options);
# Possible options are:
# cache_dir => $directory
# mkpath => $boolean
# umask => $mask
# creat => $boolean
# RW => $boolean
# page_versions => $number
# channel => $string
# stale_period => $seconds
# expire_period => $seconds

$access = $tele_db->access(%options);
# Possible options are:
# umask => $mask
# creat => $boolean
# RW => $boolean
# page_versions => $number
# channel => $string
# stale_period => $seconds
# expire_period => $seconds

$cache_dir = $tele_db->cache_dir;
$channel = $tele_db->channel;
$old_channel = $tele_db->channel($new_channel);
@channels = $tele_db->channels;
$nr_channels = $tele_db->channels;
$boolean = $tele_db->has_channel(?$channel?);
$db_file = $tele_db->db_file;
$lock_file = $tele_db->lock_file;
$tele_db->lock;
$page_versions= $tele_db->page_versions;
$umask = $tele_db->umask;
$old_umask = $tele_db->umask($new_umask);
$RW = $tele_db->RW;
$old_RW = $tele_db->RW($new_RW);
$stale_period = $tele_db->stale_period;
$old_stale_period = $tele_db->stale_period($new_stale_period);
$expire_period = $tele_db->expire_period;
$old_expire_period = $tele_db->expire_period($new_expire_period);
$user_data = $tele_db->user_data;
$old_user_data= $tele_db->user_data($new_user_data);

$tele_db->delete(%options);

The idea behind a teletext database is to separate the process of collecting teletext pages from the process of presentation. This makes programs both shorter (you dont have to implement the side yourre not interested in) and more flexible (you can read teletext pages long after the collector stopped running and you dont have to be tuned in to the channel you want to read).

In fact, the simple script TeleCollect coming with this package will be good enough for most teletext collection purposes, so that you can concentrate on the page processing.

This modules provides you with methods to both store and retrieve pages into a database and some rudimentary support to manage a set of databases (typically one for each channel). The pages will be stored in raw form so that a client can decide for itself how to handle things like transmission errors (there are of suggested methods provided in the module though, so you dont have to reinvent the wheel every time).

It (currently) use a Berkeley DB with an external lockfile for the actual storage. It only uses the version 1.85 features, so it should work almost everywhere. There will be one database and lockfile for each channel and all channel databases and locks will normally be collected in one directory.