How to add edit-layer as Plack-middleware?

Question

I have an idea to add a edit-layer to website as a Plack middleware.

Explanation: let's say, we create a website, based on some framework and templates and CSS (requesting it like /some/page). Now we could create a middleware so that every request to pages starting with adm (like /adm/some/page) shows the same page, but adds a layer for content editing. So we could easily look and use the page as visitors do, but with double-click on block-level element we could modify or add content. So middleware should bind certain block-elements with certain events (double-click) and set handlers too (with some Javascript library).

For now it is just an idea and i have not seen such approach in any CMS. I am looking for hints and ideas and examples, how to start and implement such system. I hope, there is already done something like that.

Answer 1

You could do it, but I don't think you want to do this. My understanding is that Plack::Middleware's are supposed to be generic, and implementing a CMS as a plack middleware limits its re-usability, and its out of place, there is no inherent connection between a middleware and a CMS.

See these as examples Plack::Middleware::OAuth, Plack::Middleware::Debug, Plack::Middleware::iPhone, Plack::Middleware::Image::Scale, Plack::Middleware::HTMLMinify

It would be trivial to add a middleware filter to insert a form in your html based on /adm/ or /admin/ or whatever ... and mapping the url to the dispatch would highly depend on the underlying CMS model/view/controller framework, which is why frameworks such as Catalyst, Mojolicious and other already provide this feature

See http://advent.plackperl.org/2009/12/day-23-write-your-own-middleware.html Basically, I think this is a job for a view/controller of your application, a plugin, not a wrapper for your application (middleware)

I know my explanation is lacking but hopefully you catch my drift