---
name: "Tangram::Type::Dump"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libtangram-perl"
version: "2.12-4"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Tangram::Type::Dump"
---

# Tangram::Type::Dump(3pm)

Handy functions for Pixie-like dumping of data

## NAME

Tangram::Type::Dump - Handy functions for Pixie-like dumping of data

## SYNOPSIS

```
  use Tangram::Type::Dump qw(flatten unflatten UNflatten nuke);
  use YAML qw(freeze thaw); # for instance
  my $frozen = freeze flatten($storage, $structure);
  # optional - remove circular references from flattened
  # structure so that it is freed up properly.
  nuke $frozen;
  # save frozen somewhere...
  # restore, but don't load objects straight away
  my $reconstituted = unflatten($storage, thaw $frozen);
  # restore, loading objects immediately
  my $original = UNflatten($storage, $frozen);
  # Alternative, quickly marshall a structure for saving
  my $structure;
  flatten($storage, $structure);
  # ... do something with it ...
  # restore to former glory; note that Tangram's cache will
  # prevent unnecessary DB access.
  unflatten($storage, $structure);
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module contains functions for traversing data structures which are *not* Tangram-registered objects, and replacing all the Tangram objects found with \`Mementos'.

When a similar data structure is fed back into the reversal function, the mementos are filled with on-demand references to the real objects.

All these functions operate **in place** for maximum efficiency.

## FUNCTIONS

- **flatten($storage, $structure)**

  Traverses the structure **$structure**, and replaces all the known (ie, already inserted) Tangram objects with references to them

- **unflatten($storage, $structure)**

  Performs the logical opposite of **flatten**, but only insofar as a \`normal' user is concerned.  \`Normal' users, of course, don't care that the data structure is being loaded from the database as they use it :).

## BUGS

Should this module just be an extension to Tangram::Storage ?

## AUTHOR

Sam Vilain, samv@cpan.org.  All rights reserved.  This code is free software; you can use and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.