Commit | Line | Data |
dc8021d3 |
1 | =head1 NAME |
2 | |
3 | Module::Build::API - API Reference for Module Authors |
4 | |
5 | |
6 | =head1 DESCRIPTION |
7 | |
8 | I list here some of the most important methods in C<Module::Build>. |
9 | Normally you won't need to deal with these methods unless you want to |
10 | subclass C<Module::Build>. But since one of the reasons I created |
11 | this module in the first place was so that subclassing is possible |
12 | (and easy), I will certainly write more docs as the interface |
13 | stabilizes. |
14 | |
15 | |
16 | =head2 CONSTRUCTORS |
17 | |
18 | =over 4 |
19 | |
20 | =item current() |
21 | |
22 | [version 0.20] |
23 | |
24 | This method returns a reasonable facsimile of the currently-executing |
25 | C<Module::Build> object representing the current build. You can use |
7a827510 |
26 | this object to query its L</notes()> method, inquire about installed |
dc8021d3 |
27 | modules, and so on. This is a great way to share information between |
28 | different parts of your build process. For instance, you can ask |
29 | the user a question during C<perl Build.PL>, then use their answer |
30 | during a regression test: |
31 | |
32 | # In Build.PL: |
33 | my $color = $build->prompt("What is your favorite color?"); |
34 | $build->notes(color => $color); |
35 | |
36 | # In t/colortest.t: |
37 | use Module::Build; |
38 | my $build = Module::Build->current; |
39 | my $color = $build->notes('color'); |
40 | ... |
41 | |
42 | The way the C<current()> method is currently implemented, there may be |
43 | slight differences between the C<$build> object in Build.PL and the |
44 | one in C<t/colortest.t>. It is our goal to minimize these differences |
45 | in future releases of Module::Build, so please report any anomalies |
46 | you find. |
47 | |
48 | One important caveat: in its current implementation, C<current()> will |
49 | B<NOT> work correctly if you have changed out of the directory that |
50 | C<Module::Build> was invoked from. |
51 | |
52 | =item new() |
53 | |
54 | [version 0.03] |
55 | |
56 | Creates a new Module::Build object. Arguments to the new() method are |
57 | listed below. Most arguments are optional, but you must provide |
7a827510 |
58 | either the L</module_name> argument, or L</dist_name> and one of |
59 | L</dist_version> or L</dist_version_from>. In other words, you must |
dc8021d3 |
60 | provide enough information to determine both a distribution name and |
61 | version. |
62 | |
63 | |
64 | =over 4 |
65 | |
66 | =item add_to_cleanup |
67 | |
68 | [version 0.19] |
69 | |
70 | An array reference of files to be cleaned up when the C<clean> action |
7a827510 |
71 | is performed. See also the L<add_to_cleanup()|/"add_to_cleanup(@files)"> |
72 | method. |
dc8021d3 |
73 | |
74 | =item auto_features |
75 | |
76 | [version 0.26] |
77 | |
78 | This parameter supports the setting of features (see |
7a827510 |
79 | L</feature($name)>) automatically based on a set of prerequisites. For |
dc8021d3 |
80 | instance, for a module that could optionally use either MySQL or |
81 | PostgreSQL databases, you might use C<auto_features> like this: |
82 | |
83 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
84 | ( |
85 | ...other stuff here... |
86 | auto_features => { |
87 | pg_support => { |
88 | description => "Interface with Postgres databases", |
89 | requires => { 'DBD::Pg' => 23.3, |
90 | 'DateTime::Format::Pg' => 0 }, |
91 | }, |
92 | mysql_support => { |
93 | description => "Interface with MySQL databases", |
94 | requires => { 'DBD::mysql' => 17.9, |
95 | 'DateTime::Format::MySQL' => 0 }, |
96 | }, |
97 | } |
98 | ); |
99 | |
100 | For each feature named, the required prerequisites will be checked, and |
101 | if there are no failures, the feature will be enabled (set to C<1>). |
102 | Otherwise the failures will be displayed to the user and the feature |
103 | will be disabled (set to C<0>). |
104 | |
7a827510 |
105 | See the documentation for L</requires> for the details of how |
dc8021d3 |
106 | requirements can be specified. |
107 | |
108 | =item autosplit |
109 | |
110 | [version 0.04] |
111 | |
112 | An optional C<autosplit> argument specifies a file which should be run |
7a827510 |
113 | through the L<AutoSplit::autosplit()|AutoSplit/autosplit> function. |
114 | If multiple files should be split, the argument may be given as an |
115 | array of the files to split. |
dc8021d3 |
116 | |
117 | In general I don't consider autosplitting a great idea, because it's |
118 | not always clear that autosplitting achieves its intended performance |
119 | benefits. It may even harm performance in environments like mod_perl, |
120 | where as much as possible of a module's code should be loaded during |
121 | startup. |
122 | |
123 | =item build_class |
124 | |
125 | [version 0.28] |
126 | |
7a827510 |
127 | The Module::Build class or subclass to use in the build script. |
128 | Defaults to "Module::Build" or the class name passed to or created by |
129 | a call to L</subclass()>. This property is useful if you're |
dc8021d3 |
130 | writing a custom Module::Build subclass and have a bootstrapping |
131 | problem--that is, your subclass requires modules that may not be |
132 | installed when C<perl Build.PL> is executed, but you've listed in |
7a827510 |
133 | L</build_requires> so that they should be available when C<./Build> is |
dc8021d3 |
134 | executed. |
135 | |
136 | =item build_requires |
137 | |
138 | [version 0.07] |
139 | |
140 | Modules listed in this section are necessary to build and install the |
141 | given module, but are not necessary for regular usage of it. This is |
142 | actually an important distinction - it allows for tighter control over |
143 | the body of installed modules, and facilitates correct dependency |
144 | checking on binary/packaged distributions of the module. |
145 | |
146 | See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES"> |
147 | for the details of how requirements can be specified. |
148 | |
149 | =item create_packlist |
150 | |
151 | [version 0.28] |
152 | |
153 | If true, this parameter tells Module::Build to create a F<.packlist> |
154 | file during the C<install> action, just like ExtUtils::MakeMaker does. |
155 | The file is created in a subdirectory of the C<arch> installation |
156 | location. It is used by some other tools (CPAN, CPANPLUS, etc.) for |
157 | determining what files are part of an install. |
158 | |
159 | The default value is true. This parameter was introduced in |
160 | Module::Build version 0.2609; previously no packlists were ever |
161 | created by Module::Build. |
162 | |
163 | =item c_source |
164 | |
165 | [version 0.04] |
166 | |
167 | An optional C<c_source> argument specifies a directory which contains |
168 | C source files that the rest of the build may depend on. Any C<.c> |
169 | files in the directory will be compiled to object files. The |
170 | directory will be added to the search path during the compilation and |
171 | linking phases of any C or XS files. |
172 | |
173 | =item conflicts |
174 | |
175 | [version 0.07] |
176 | |
177 | Modules listed in this section conflict in some serious way with the |
178 | given module. C<Module::Build> (or some higher-level tool) will |
179 | refuse to install the given module if the given module/version is also |
180 | installed. |
181 | |
182 | See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES"> |
183 | for the details of how requirements can be specified. |
184 | |
185 | =item create_makefile_pl |
186 | |
187 | [version 0.19] |
188 | |
189 | This parameter lets you use Module::Build::Compat during the |
190 | C<distdir> (or C<dist>) action to automatically create a Makefile.PL |
191 | for compatibility with ExtUtils::MakeMaker. The parameter's value |
7a827510 |
192 | should be one of the styles named in the L<Module::Build::Compat> |
dc8021d3 |
193 | documentation. |
194 | |
195 | =item create_readme |
196 | |
197 | [version 0.22] |
198 | |
199 | This parameter tells Module::Build to automatically create a F<README> |
200 | file at the top level of your distribution. Currently it will simply |
201 | use C<Pod::Text> (or C<Pod::Readme> if it's installed) on the file |
202 | indicated by C<dist_version_from> and put the result in the F<README> |
203 | file. This is by no means the only recommended style for writing a |
204 | README, but it seems to be one common one used on the CPAN. |
205 | |
206 | If you generate a F<README> in this way, it's probably a good idea to |
207 | create a separate F<INSTALL> file if that information isn't in the |
208 | generated F<README>. |
209 | |
210 | =item dist_abstract |
211 | |
212 | [version 0.20] |
213 | |
214 | This should be a short description of the distribution. This is used |
215 | when generating metadata for F<META.yml> and PPD files. If it is not |
216 | given then C<Module::Build> looks in the POD of the module from which |
217 | it gets the distribution's version. It looks for the first line |
218 | matching C<$package\s-\s(.+)>, and uses the captured text as the |
219 | abstract. |
220 | |
221 | =item dist_author |
222 | |
223 | [version 0.20] |
224 | |
225 | This should be something like "John Doe <jdoe@example.com>", or if |
226 | there are multiple authors, an anonymous array of strings may be |
227 | specified. This is used when generating metadata for F<META.yml> and |
228 | PPD files. If this is not specified, then C<Module::Build> looks at |
229 | the module from which it gets the distribution's version. If it finds |
230 | a POD section marked "=head1 AUTHOR", then it uses the contents of |
231 | this section. |
232 | |
233 | =item dist_name |
234 | |
235 | [version 0.11] |
236 | |
237 | Specifies the name for this distribution. Most authors won't need to |
238 | set this directly, they can use C<module_name> to set C<dist_name> to |
239 | a reasonable default. However, some agglomerative distributions like |
240 | C<libwww-perl> or C<bioperl> have names that don't correspond directly |
241 | to a module name, so C<dist_name> can be set independently. |
242 | |
243 | =item dist_version |
244 | |
245 | [version 0.11] |
246 | |
7a827510 |
247 | Specifies a version number for the distribution. See L</module_name> |
248 | or L</dist_version_from> for ways to have this set automatically from a |
dc8021d3 |
249 | C<$VERSION> variable in a module. One way or another, a version |
250 | number needs to be set. |
251 | |
252 | =item dist_version_from |
253 | |
254 | [version 0.11] |
255 | |
256 | Specifies a file to look for the distribution version in. Most |
7a827510 |
257 | authors won't need to set this directly, they can use L</module_name> |
dc8021d3 |
258 | to set it to a reasonable default. |
259 | |
260 | The version is extracted from the specified file according to the same |
7a827510 |
261 | rules as L<ExtUtils::MakeMaker> and C<CPAN.pm>. It involves finding |
dc8021d3 |
262 | the first line that matches the regular expression |
263 | |
264 | /([\$*])(([\w\:\']*)\bVERSION)\b.*\=/ |
265 | |
266 | eval()-ing that line, then checking the value of the C<$VERSION> |
267 | variable. Quite ugly, really, but all the modules on CPAN depend on |
268 | this process, so there's no real opportunity to change to something |
269 | better. |
270 | |
271 | =item dynamic_config |
272 | |
273 | [version 0.07] |
274 | |
275 | A boolean flag indicating whether the F<Build.PL> file must be |
276 | executed, or whether this module can be built, tested and installed |
277 | solely from consulting its metadata file. The main reason to set this |
278 | to a true value is that your module performs some dynamic |
279 | configuration as part of its build/install process. If the flag is |
280 | omitted, the F<META.yml> spec says that installation tools should |
281 | treat it as 1 (true), because this is a safer way to behave. |
282 | |
283 | Currently C<Module::Build> doesn't actually do anything with this flag |
7a827510 |
284 | - it's up to higher-level tools like C<CPAN.pm> to do something useful |
285 | with it. It can potentially bring lots of security, packaging, and |
286 | convenience improvements. |
dc8021d3 |
287 | |
288 | =item extra_compiler_flags |
289 | |
290 | =item extra_linker_flags |
291 | |
292 | [version 0.19] |
293 | |
294 | These parameters can contain array references (or strings, in which |
295 | case they will be split into arrays) to pass through to the compiler |
296 | and linker phases when compiling/linking C code. For example, to tell |
297 | the compiler that your code is C++, you might do: |
298 | |
299 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
300 | ( |
301 | module_name => 'Foo::Bar', |
302 | extra_compiler_flags => ['-x', 'c++'], |
303 | ); |
304 | |
305 | To link your XS code against glib you might write something like: |
306 | |
307 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
308 | ( |
309 | module_name => 'Foo::Bar', |
310 | dynamic_config => 1, |
311 | extra_compiler_flags => scalar `glib-config --cflags`, |
312 | extra_linker_flags => scalar `glib-config --libs`, |
313 | ); |
314 | |
315 | =item get_options |
316 | |
317 | [version 0.26] |
318 | |
319 | You can pass arbitrary command line options to F<Build.PL> or |
320 | F<Build>, and they will be stored in the Module::Build object and can |
7a827510 |
321 | be accessed via the L</args()> method. However, sometimes you want |
dc8021d3 |
322 | more flexibility out of your argument processing than this allows. In |
323 | such cases, use the C<get_options> parameter to pass in a hash |
324 | reference of argument specifications, and the list of arguments to |
325 | F<Build.PL> or F<Build> will be processed according to those |
326 | specifications before they're passed on to C<Module::Build>'s own |
327 | argument processing. |
328 | |
329 | The supported option specification hash keys are: |
330 | |
331 | |
332 | =over 4 |
333 | |
334 | =item type |
335 | |
336 | The type of option. The types are those supported by Getopt::Long; consult |
337 | its documentation for a complete list. Typical types are C<=s> for strings, |
338 | C<+> for additive options, and C<!> for negatable options. If the |
339 | type is not specified, it will be considered a boolean, i.e. no |
340 | argument is taken and a value of 1 will be assigned when the option is |
341 | encountered. |
342 | |
343 | =item store |
344 | |
345 | A reference to a scalar in which to store the value passed to the option. |
346 | If not specified, the value will be stored under the option name in the |
347 | hash returned by the C<args()> method. |
348 | |
349 | =item default |
350 | |
351 | A default value for the option. If no default value is specified and no option |
352 | is passed, then the option key will not exist in the hash returned by |
353 | C<args()>. |
354 | |
355 | =back |
356 | |
357 | |
358 | You can combine references to your own variables or subroutines with |
359 | unreferenced specifications, for which the result will also be stored in the |
360 | hash returned by C<args()>. For example: |
361 | |
362 | my $loud = 0; |
363 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
364 | ( |
365 | module_name => 'Foo::Bar', |
366 | get_options => { |
367 | loud => { store => \$loud }, |
368 | dbd => { type => '=s' }, |
369 | quantity => { type => '+' }, |
370 | } |
371 | ); |
372 | |
373 | print STDERR "HEY, ARE YOU LISTENING??\n" if $loud; |
374 | print "We'll use the ", $build->args('dbd'), " DBI driver\n"; |
375 | print "Are you sure you want that many?\n" |
376 | if $build->args('quantity') > 2; |
377 | |
378 | The arguments for such a specification can be called like so: |
379 | |
380 | perl Build.PL --loud --dbd=DBD::pg --quantity --quantity --quantity |
381 | |
382 | B<WARNING:> Any option specifications that conflict with Module::Build's own |
383 | options (defined by its properties) will throw an exception. |
384 | |
385 | Consult the Getopt::Long documentation for details on its usage. |
386 | |
387 | =item include_dirs |
388 | |
389 | [version 0.24] |
390 | |
391 | Specifies any additional directories in which to search for C header |
392 | files. May be given as a string indicating a single directory, or as |
393 | a list reference indicating multiple directories. |
394 | |
395 | =item install_path |
396 | |
397 | [version 0.19] |
398 | |
399 | You can set paths for individual installable elements by using the |
400 | C<install_path> parameter: |
401 | |
402 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
403 | ( |
404 | ...other stuff here... |
405 | install_path => { |
406 | lib => '/foo/lib', |
407 | arch => '/foo/lib/arch', |
408 | } |
409 | ); |
410 | |
411 | =item installdirs |
412 | |
413 | [version 0.19] |
414 | |
415 | Determines where files are installed within the normal perl hierarchy |
416 | as determined by F<Config.pm>. Valid values are: C<core>, C<site>, |
417 | C<vendor>. The default is C<site>. See |
418 | L<Module::Build/"INSTALL PATHS"> |
419 | |
420 | =item license |
421 | |
422 | [version 0.07] |
423 | |
424 | Specifies the licensing terms of your distribution. Valid options include: |
425 | |
426 | |
427 | =over 4 |
428 | |
429 | =item apache |
430 | |
431 | The distribution is licensed under the Apache Software License |
7a827510 |
432 | (L<http://opensource.org/licenses/apachepl.php>). |
dc8021d3 |
433 | |
434 | =item artistic |
435 | |
436 | The distribution is licensed under the Artistic License, as specified |
7a827510 |
437 | by the F<Artistic> file in the standard Perl distribution. |
438 | |
439 | =item artistic_2 |
440 | |
441 | The distribution is licensed under the Artistic 2.0 License |
442 | (L<http://opensource.org/licenses/artistic-license-2.0.php>.) |
dc8021d3 |
443 | |
444 | =item bsd |
445 | |
446 | The distribution is licensed under the BSD License |
7a827510 |
447 | (L<http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php>). |
dc8021d3 |
448 | |
449 | =item gpl |
450 | |
7a827510 |
451 | The distribution is licensed under the terms of the GNU General |
452 | Public License (L<http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php>). |
dc8021d3 |
453 | |
454 | =item lgpl |
455 | |
7a827510 |
456 | The distribution is licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser |
dc8021d3 |
457 | General Public License |
7a827510 |
458 | (L<http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-license.php>). |
dc8021d3 |
459 | |
460 | =item mit |
461 | |
462 | The distribution is licensed under the MIT License |
7a827510 |
463 | (L<http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php>). |
dc8021d3 |
464 | |
465 | =item mozilla |
466 | |
467 | The distribution is licensed under the Mozilla Public |
7a827510 |
468 | License. (L<http://opensource.org/licenses/mozilla1.0.php> or |
469 | L<http://opensource.org/licenses/mozilla1.1.php>) |
dc8021d3 |
470 | |
471 | =item open_source |
472 | |
473 | The distribution is licensed under some other Open Source |
474 | Initiative-approved license listed at |
7a827510 |
475 | L<http://www.opensource.org/licenses/>. |
dc8021d3 |
476 | |
477 | =item perl |
478 | |
479 | The distribution may be copied and redistributed under the same terms |
7a827510 |
480 | as Perl itself (this is by far the most common licensing option for |
dc8021d3 |
481 | modules on CPAN). This is a dual license, in which the user may |
482 | choose between either the GPL or the Artistic license. |
483 | |
484 | =item restrictive |
485 | |
486 | The distribution may not be redistributed without special permission |
487 | from the author and/or copyright holder. |
488 | |
489 | =item unrestricted |
490 | |
491 | The distribution is licensed under a license that is B<not> approved |
492 | by www.opensource.org but that allows distribution without |
493 | restrictions. |
494 | |
495 | =back |
496 | |
497 | |
498 | Note that you must still include the terms of your license in your |
499 | documentation - this field only lets automated tools figure out your |
500 | licensing restrictions. Humans still need something to read. If you |
501 | choose to provide this field, you should make sure that you keep it in |
502 | sync with your written documentation if you ever change your licensing |
503 | terms. |
504 | |
505 | It is a fatal error to use a license other than the ones mentioned |
506 | above. This is not because I wish to impose licensing terms on you - |
507 | please let me know if you would like another license option to be |
508 | added to the list. You may also use a license type of C<unknown> if |
509 | you don't wish to specify your terms (but this is usually not a good |
510 | idea for you to do!). |
511 | |
512 | I just started out with a small set of licenses to keep things simple, |
513 | figuring I'd let people with actual working knowledge in this area |
514 | tell me what to do. So if that's you, drop me a line. |
515 | |
516 | =item meta_add |
517 | |
518 | [version 0.28] |
519 | |
520 | A hash of key/value pairs that should be added to the F<META.yml> file |
521 | during the C<distmeta> action. Any existing entries with the same |
522 | names will be overridden. |
523 | |
7a827510 |
524 | See the L</"MODULE METADATA"> section for details. |
525 | |
dc8021d3 |
526 | =item meta_merge |
527 | |
528 | [version 0.28] |
529 | |
530 | A hash of key/value pairs that should be merged into the F<META.yml> |
531 | file during the C<distmeta> action. Any existing entries with the |
532 | same names will be overridden. |
533 | |
534 | The only difference between C<meta_add> and C<meta_merge> is their |
535 | behavior on hash-valued and array-valued entries: C<meta_add> will |
536 | completely blow away the existing hash or array value, but |
537 | C<meta_merge> will merge the supplied data into the existing hash or |
538 | array value. |
539 | |
7a827510 |
540 | See the L</"MODULE METADATA"> section for details. |
541 | |
dc8021d3 |
542 | =item module_name |
543 | |
544 | [version 0.03] |
545 | |
546 | The C<module_name> is a shortcut for setting default values of |
547 | C<dist_name> and C<dist_version_from>, reflecting the fact that the |
548 | majority of CPAN distributions are centered around one "main" module. |
549 | For instance, if you set C<module_name> to C<Foo::Bar>, then |
550 | C<dist_name> will default to C<Foo-Bar> and C<dist_version_from> will |
551 | default to C<lib/Foo/Bar.pm>. C<dist_version_from> will in turn be |
552 | used to set C<dist_version>. |
553 | |
554 | Setting C<module_name> won't override a C<dist_*> parameter you |
555 | specify explicitly. |
556 | |
557 | =item PL_files |
558 | |
559 | [version 0.06] |
560 | |
561 | An optional parameter specifying a set of C<.PL> files in your |
562 | distribution. These will be run as Perl scripts prior to processing |
563 | the rest of the files in your distribution. They are usually used as |
564 | templates for creating other files dynamically, so that a file like |
565 | C<lib/Foo/Bar.pm.PL> might create the file C<lib/Foo/Bar.pm>. |
566 | |
567 | The files are specified with the C<.PL> files as hash keys, and the |
568 | file(s) they generate as hash values, like so: |
569 | |
570 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
571 | ( |
572 | module_name => 'Foo::Bar', |
573 | ... |
574 | PL_files => { 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm.PL' => 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm' }, |
575 | ); |
576 | |
577 | Note that the path specifications are I<always> given in Unix-like |
578 | format, not in the style of the local system. |
579 | |
580 | If your C<.PL> scripts don't create any files, or if they create files |
581 | with unexpected names, or even if they create multiple files, you can |
582 | indicate that so that Module::Build can properly handle these created |
583 | files: |
584 | |
585 | PL_files => { |
586 | 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm.PL' => 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm', |
587 | 'lib/something.PL' => ['/lib/something', '/lib/else'], |
588 | 'lib/funny.PL' => [], |
589 | } |
590 | |
591 | =item pm_files |
592 | |
593 | [version 0.19] |
594 | |
595 | An optional parameter specifying the set of C<.pm> files in this |
596 | distribution, specified as a hash reference whose keys are the files' |
597 | locations in the distributions, and whose values are their logical |
598 | locations based on their package name, i.e. where they would be found |
599 | in a "normal" Module::Build-style distribution. This parameter is |
600 | mainly intended to support alternative layouts of files. |
601 | |
602 | For instance, if you have an old-style MakeMaker distribution for a |
603 | module called C<Foo::Bar> and a F<Bar.pm> file at the top level of the |
604 | distribution, you could specify your layout in your C<Build.PL> like |
605 | this: |
606 | |
607 | my $build = Module::Build->new |
608 | ( |
609 | module_name => 'Foo::Bar', |
610 | ... |
611 | pm_files => { 'Bar.pm' => 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm' }, |
612 | ); |
613 | |
614 | Note that the values should include C<lib/>, because this is where |
615 | they would be found in a "normal" Module::Build-style distribution. |
616 | |
617 | Note also that the path specifications are I<always> given in |
618 | Unix-like format, not in the style of the local system. |
619 | |
620 | =item pod_files |
621 | |
622 | [version 0.19] |
623 | |
624 | Just like C<pm_files>, but used for specifying the set of C<.pod> |
625 | files in your distribution. |
626 | |
627 | =item recommends |
628 | |
629 | [version 0.08] |
630 | |
7a827510 |
631 | This is just like the L</requires> argument, except that modules listed |
dc8021d3 |
632 | in this section aren't essential, just a good idea. We'll just print |
633 | a friendly warning if one of these modules aren't found, but we'll |
634 | continue running. |
635 | |
636 | If a module is recommended but not required, all tests should still |
637 | pass if the module isn't installed. This may mean that some tests |
638 | may be skipped if recommended dependencies aren't present. |
639 | |
640 | Automated tools like CPAN.pm should inform the user when recommended |
641 | modules aren't installed, and it should offer to install them if it |
642 | wants to be helpful. |
643 | |
644 | See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES"> |
645 | for the details of how requirements can be specified. |
646 | |
647 | =item recursive_test_files |
648 | |
649 | [version 0.28] |
650 | |
651 | Normally, C<Module::Build> does not search subdirectories when looking |
652 | for tests to run. When this options is set it will search recursively |
653 | in all subdirectories of the standard 't' test directory. |
654 | |
655 | =item requires |
656 | |
657 | [version 0.07] |
658 | |
659 | An optional C<requires> argument specifies any module prerequisites |
660 | that the current module depends on. |
661 | |
662 | One note: currently C<Module::Build> doesn't actually I<require> the |
663 | user to have dependencies installed, it just strongly urges. In the |
7a827510 |
664 | future we may require it. There's also a L</recommends> section for |
dc8021d3 |
665 | things that aren't absolutely required. |
666 | |
667 | Automated tools like CPAN.pm should refuse to install a module if one |
668 | of its dependencies isn't satisfied, unless a "force" command is given |
669 | by the user. If the tools are helpful, they should also offer to |
670 | install the dependencies. |
671 | |
672 | A synonym for C<requires> is C<prereq>, to help succour people |
673 | transitioning from C<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>. The C<requires> term is |
674 | preferred, but the C<prereq> term will remain valid in future |
675 | distributions. |
676 | |
677 | See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES"> |
678 | for the details of how requirements can be specified. |
679 | |
680 | =item script_files |
681 | |
682 | [version 0.18] |
683 | |
684 | An optional parameter specifying a set of files that should be |
7a827510 |
685 | installed as executable Perl scripts when the module is installed. |
dc8021d3 |
686 | May be given as an array reference of the files, or as a hash |
687 | reference whose keys are the files (and whose values will currently be |
688 | ignored). |
689 | |
690 | The default is to install no script files - in other words, there is |
691 | no default location where Module::Build will look for script files to |
692 | install. |
693 | |
694 | For backward compatibility, you may use the parameter C<scripts> |
695 | instead of C<script_files>. Please consider this usage deprecated, |
696 | though it will continue to exist for several version releases. |
697 | |
698 | =item sign |
699 | |
700 | [version 0.16] |
701 | |
7a827510 |
702 | If a true value is specified for this parameter, L<Module::Signature> |
dc8021d3 |
703 | will be used (via the 'distsign' action) to create a SIGNATURE file |
704 | for your distribution during the 'distdir' action, and to add the |
705 | SIGNATURE file to the MANIFEST (therefore, don't add it yourself). |
706 | |
707 | The default value is false. In the future, the default may change to |
708 | true if you have C<Module::Signature> installed on your system. |
709 | |
710 | =item test_files |
711 | |
712 | [version 0.23] |
713 | |
714 | An optional parameter specifying a set of files that should be used as |
715 | C<Test::Harness>-style regression tests to be run during the C<test> |
716 | action. May be given as an array reference of the files, or as a hash |
717 | reference whose keys are the files (and whose values will currently be |
718 | ignored). If the argument is given as a single string (not in an |
719 | array reference), that string will be treated as a C<glob()> pattern |
720 | specifying the files to use. |
721 | |
722 | The default is to look for a F<test.pl> script in the top-level |
723 | directory of the distribution, and any files matching the glob pattern |
724 | C<*.t> in the F<t/> subdirectory. If the C<recursive_test_files> |
725 | property is true, then the C<t/> directory will be scanned recursively |
726 | for C<*.t> files. |
727 | |
77e96e88 |
728 | |
dc8021d3 |
729 | =item xs_files |
730 | |
731 | [version 0.19] |
732 | |
733 | Just like C<pm_files>, but used for specifying the set of C<.xs> |
734 | files in your distribution. |
735 | |
736 | =back |
737 | |
738 | |
739 | =item new_from_context(%args) |
740 | |
741 | [version 0.28] |
742 | |
743 | When called from a directory containing a F<Build.PL> script and a |
744 | F<META.yml> file (in other words, the base directory of a |
745 | distribution), this method will run the F<Build.PL> and return the |
746 | resulting C<Module::Build> object to the caller. Any key-value |
747 | arguments given to C<new_from_context()> are essentially like |
748 | command line arguments given to the F<Build.PL> script, so for example |
749 | you could pass C<< verbose => 1 >> to this method to turn on |
750 | verbosity. |
751 | |
752 | =item resume() |
753 | |
754 | [version 0.03] |
755 | |
756 | You'll probably never call this method directly, it's only called from |
757 | the auto-generated C<Build> script. The C<new()> method is only |
758 | called once, when the user runs C<perl Build.PL>. Thereafter, when |
759 | the user runs C<Build test> or another action, the C<Module::Build> |
760 | object is created using the C<resume()> method to re-instantiate with |
761 | the settings given earlier to C<new()>. |
762 | |
763 | =item subclass() |
764 | |
765 | [version 0.06] |
766 | |
767 | This creates a new C<Module::Build> subclass on the fly, as described |
768 | in the L<Module::Build::Authoring/"SUBCLASSING"> section. The caller |
769 | must provide either a C<class> or C<code> parameter, or both. The |
770 | C<class> parameter indicates the name to use for the new subclass, and |
771 | defaults to C<MyModuleBuilder>. The C<code> parameter specifies Perl |
772 | code to use as the body of the subclass. |
773 | |
774 | =back |
775 | |
776 | |
777 | =head2 METHODS |
778 | |
779 | =over 4 |
780 | |
781 | =item add_build_element($type) |
782 | |
783 | [version 0.26] |
784 | |
785 | Adds a new type of entry to the build process. Accepts a single |
786 | string specifying its type-name. There must also be a method defined |
787 | to process things of that type, e.g. if you add a build element called |
788 | C<'foo'>, then you must also define a method called |
789 | C<process_foo_files()>. |
790 | |
791 | See also |
792 | L<Module::Build::Cookbook/"Adding new file types to the build process">. |
793 | |
794 | =item add_to_cleanup(@files) |
795 | |
796 | [version 0.03] |
797 | |
798 | You may call C<< $self->add_to_cleanup(@patterns) >> to tell |
799 | C<Module::Build> that certain files should be removed when the user |
800 | performs the C<Build clean> action. The arguments to the method are |
801 | patterns suitable for passing to Perl's C<glob()> function, specified |
802 | in either Unix format or the current machine's native format. It's |
803 | usually convenient to use Unix format when you hard-code the filenames |
804 | (e.g. in F<Build.PL>) and the native format when the names are |
805 | programmatically generated (e.g. in a testing script). |
806 | |
807 | I decided to provide a dynamic method of the C<$build> object, rather |
808 | than just use a static list of files named in the F<Build.PL>, because |
809 | these static lists can get difficult to manage. I usually prefer to |
810 | keep the responsibility for registering temporary files close to the |
811 | code that creates them. |
812 | |
813 | =item args() |
814 | |
815 | [version 0.26] |
816 | |
817 | my $args_href = $build->args; |
818 | my %args = $build->args; |
819 | my $arg_value = $build->args($key); |
820 | $build->args($key, $value); |
821 | |
822 | This method is the preferred interface for retrieving the arguments passed via |
823 | command line options to F<Build.PL> or F<Build>, minus the Module-Build |
824 | specific options. |
825 | |
826 | When called in in a scalar context with no arguments, this method returns a |
827 | reference to the hash storing all of the arguments; in an array context, it |
828 | returns the hash itself. When passed a single argument, it returns the value |
829 | stored in the args hash for that option key. When called with two arguments, |
830 | the second argument is assigned to the args hash under the key passed as the |
831 | first argument. |
832 | |
833 | =item autosplit_file($from, $to) |
834 | |
835 | [version 0.28] |
836 | |
7a827510 |
837 | Invokes the L<AutoSplit> module on the C<$from> file, sending the |
dc8021d3 |
838 | output to the C<lib/auto> directory inside C<$to>. C<$to> is |
839 | typically the C<blib/> directory. |
840 | |
841 | =item base_dir() |
842 | |
843 | [version 0.14] |
844 | |
845 | Returns a string containing the root-level directory of this build, |
846 | i.e. where the C<Build.PL> script and the C<lib> directory can be |
847 | found. This is usually the same as the current working directory, |
848 | because the C<Build> script will C<chdir()> into this directory as |
849 | soon as it begins execution. |
850 | |
851 | =item build_requires() |
852 | |
853 | [version 0.21] |
854 | |
855 | Returns a hash reference indicating the C<build_requires> |
856 | prerequisites that were passed to the C<new()> method. |
857 | |
858 | =item check_installed_status($module, $version) |
859 | |
860 | [version 0.11] |
861 | |
862 | This method returns a hash reference indicating whether a version |
863 | dependency on a certain module is satisfied. The C<$module> argument |
864 | is given as a string like C<"Data::Dumper"> or C<"perl">, and the |
7a827510 |
865 | C<$version> argument can take any of the forms described in L</requires> |
dc8021d3 |
866 | above. This allows very fine-grained version checking. |
867 | |
868 | The returned hash reference has the following structure: |
869 | |
870 | { |
871 | ok => $whether_the_dependency_is_satisfied, |
872 | have => $version_already_installed, |
873 | need => $version_requested, # Same as incoming $version argument |
874 | message => $informative_error_message, |
875 | } |
876 | |
877 | If no version of C<$module> is currently installed, the C<have> value |
878 | will be the string C<< "<none>" >>. Otherwise the C<have> value will |
879 | simply be the version of the installed module. Note that this means |
880 | that if C<$module> is installed but doesn't define a version number, |
881 | the C<have> value will be C<undef> - this is why we don't use C<undef> |
882 | for the case when C<$module> isn't installed at all. |
883 | |
884 | This method may be called either as an object method |
885 | (C<< $build->check_installed_status($module, $version) >>) |
7a827510 |
886 | or as a class method |
dc8021d3 |
887 | (C<< Module::Build->check_installed_status($module, $version) >>). |
888 | |
889 | =item check_installed_version($module, $version) |
890 | |
891 | [version 0.05] |
892 | |
7a827510 |
893 | Like L<check_installed_status()|/"check_installed_status($module, $version)">, |
894 | but simply returns true or false depending on whether module |
895 | C<$module> satisfies the dependency C<$version>. |
dc8021d3 |
896 | |
897 | If the check succeeds, the return value is the actual version of |
898 | C<$module> installed on the system. This allows you to do the |
899 | following: |
900 | |
901 | my $installed = $build->check_installed_version('DBI', '1.15'); |
902 | if ($installed) { |
903 | print "Congratulations, version $installed of DBI is installed.\n"; |
904 | } else { |
905 | die "Sorry, you must install DBI.\n"; |
906 | } |
907 | |
908 | If the check fails, we return false and set C<$@> to an informative |
909 | error message. |
910 | |
911 | If C<$version> is any non-true value (notably zero) and any version of |
912 | C<$module> is installed, we return true. In this case, if C<$module> |
913 | doesn't define a version, or if its version is zero, we return the |
914 | special value "0 but true", which is numerically zero, but logically |
915 | true. |
916 | |
917 | In general you might prefer to use C<check_installed_status> if you |
918 | need detailed information, or this method if you just need a yes/no |
919 | answer. |
920 | |
921 | =item compare_versions($v1, $op, $v2) |
922 | |
923 | [version 0.28] |
924 | |
925 | Compares two module versions C<$v1> and C<$v2> using the operator |
926 | C<$op>, which should be one of Perl's numeric operators like C<!=> or |
927 | C<< >= >> or the like. We do at least a halfway-decent job of |
928 | handling versions that aren't strictly numeric, like C<0.27_02>, but |
929 | exotic stuff will likely cause problems. |
930 | |
931 | In the future, the guts of this method might be replaced with a call |
932 | out to C<version.pm>. |
933 | |
77e96e88 |
934 | =item config($key) |
935 | |
936 | =item config($key, $value) |
937 | |
938 | =item config() [deprecated] |
dc8021d3 |
939 | |
940 | [version 0.22] |
941 | |
77e96e88 |
942 | With a single argument C<$key>, returns the value associated with that |
943 | key in the C<Config.pm> hash, including any changes the author or user |
7a827510 |
944 | has specified. |
77e96e88 |
945 | |
946 | With C<$key> and C<$value> arguments, sets the value for future |
947 | callers of C<config($key)>. |
948 | |
949 | With no arguments, returns a hash reference containing all such |
950 | key-value pairs. This usage is deprecated, though, because it's a |
951 | resource hog and violates encapsulation. |
dc8021d3 |
952 | |
953 | =item config_data($name) |
954 | |
955 | =item config_data($name => $value) |
956 | |
957 | [version 0.26] |
958 | |
959 | With a single argument, returns the value of the configuration |
960 | variable C<$name>. With two arguments, sets the given configuration |
7a827510 |
961 | variable to the given value. The value may be any Perl scalar that's |
dc8021d3 |
962 | serializable with C<Data::Dumper>. For instance, if you write a |
963 | module that can use a MySQL or PostgreSQL back-end, you might create |
964 | configuration variables called C<mysql_connect> and |
965 | C<postgres_connect>, and set each to an array of connection parameters |
966 | for C<< DBI->connect() >>. |
967 | |
968 | Configuration values set in this way using the Module::Build object |
969 | will be available for querying during the build/test process and after |
970 | installation via the generated C<...::ConfigData> module, as |
971 | C<< ...::ConfigData->config($name) >>. |
972 | |
7a827510 |
973 | The L<feature()|/"feature($name)"> and C<config_data()> methods represent |
dc8021d3 |
974 | Module::Build's main support for configuration of installed modules. |
975 | See also L<Module::Build::Authoring/"SAVING CONFIGURATION INFORMATION">. |
976 | |
977 | =item conflicts() |
978 | |
979 | [version 0.21] |
980 | |
981 | Returns a hash reference indicating the C<conflicts> prerequisites |
982 | that were passed to the C<new()> method. |
983 | |
984 | =item contains_pod($file) |
985 | |
986 | [version 0.20] |
987 | |
988 | [Deprecated] Please see L<Module::Build::ModuleInfo> instead. |
989 | |
990 | Returns true if the given file appears to contain POD documentation. |
991 | Currently this checks whether the file has a line beginning with |
992 | '=pod', '=head', or '=item', but the exact semantics may change in the |
993 | future. |
994 | |
995 | =item copy_if_modified(%parameters) |
996 | |
997 | [version 0.19] |
998 | |
999 | Takes the file in the C<from> parameter and copies it to the file in |
1000 | the C<to> parameter, or the directory in the C<to_dir> parameter, if |
1001 | the file has changed since it was last copied (or if it doesn't exist |
1002 | in the new location). By default the entire directory structure of |
1003 | C<from> will be copied into C<to_dir>; an optional C<flatten> |
1004 | parameter will copy into C<to_dir> without doing so. |
1005 | |
1006 | Returns the path to the destination file, or C<undef> if nothing |
1007 | needed to be copied. |
1008 | |
1009 | Any directories that need to be created in order to perform the |
1010 | copying will be automatically created. |
1011 | |
1012 | The destination file is set to read-only. If the source file has the |
1013 | executable bit set, then the destination file will be made executable. |
1014 | |
1015 | =item create_build_script() |
1016 | |
1017 | [version 0.05] |
1018 | |
1019 | Creates an executable script called C<Build> in the current directory |
1020 | that will be used to execute further user actions. This script is |
1021 | roughly analogous (in function, not in form) to the Makefile created |
1022 | by C<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>. This method also creates some temporary |
1023 | data in a directory called C<_build/>. Both of these will be removed |
1024 | when the C<realclean> action is performed. |
1025 | |
7253302f |
1026 | Among the files created in C<_build/> is a F<_build/prereqs> file |
1027 | containing the set of prerequisites for this distribution, as a hash |
1028 | of hashes. This file may be C<eval()>-ed to obtain the authoritative |
7a827510 |
1029 | set of prereqs, which might be different from the contents of |
1030 | F<META.yml> (because F<Build.PL> might have set them dynamically). |
1031 | But fancy developers take heed: do not put any fancy custom runtime |
1032 | code in the F<_build/prereqs> file, leave it as a static declaration |
1033 | containing only strings and numbers. Similarly, do not alter the |
1034 | structure of the internal C<< $self->{properties}{requires} >> (etc.) |
1035 | data members, because that's where this data comes from. |
7253302f |
1036 | |
dc8021d3 |
1037 | =item current_action() |
1038 | |
1039 | [version 0.28] |
1040 | |
1041 | Returns the name of the currently-running action, such as "build" or |
1042 | "test". This action is not necessarily the action that was originally |
1043 | invoked by the user. For example, if the user invoked the "test" |
1044 | action, current_action() would initially return "test". However, |
1045 | action "test" depends on action "code", so current_action() will |
1046 | return "code" while that dependency is being executed. Once that |
1047 | action has completed, current_action() will again return "test". |
1048 | |
1049 | If you need to know the name of the original action invoked by the |
7a827510 |
1050 | user, see L</invoked_action()> below. |
dc8021d3 |
1051 | |
1052 | =item depends_on(@actions) |
1053 | |
1054 | [version 0.28] |
1055 | |
1056 | Invokes the named action or list of actions in sequence. Using this |
1057 | method is preferred to calling the action explicitly because it |
1058 | performs some internal record-keeping, and it ensures that the same |
1059 | action is not invoked multiple times (note: in future versions of |
1060 | Module::Build it's conceivable that this run-only-once mechanism will |
1061 | be changed to something more intelligent). |
1062 | |
1063 | Note that the name of this method is something of a misnomer; it |
1064 | should really be called something like |
1065 | C<invoke_actions_unless_already_invoked()> or something, but for |
1066 | better or worse (perhaps better!) we were still thinking in |
1067 | C<make>-like dependency terms when we created this method. |
1068 | |
7a827510 |
1069 | See also L<dispatch()|/"dispatch($action, %args)">. The main |
1070 | distinction between the two is that C<depends_on()> is meant to call |
1071 | an action from inside another action, whereas C<dispatch()> is meant |
1072 | to set the very top action in motion. |
dc8021d3 |
1073 | |
1074 | =item dir_contains($first_dir, $second_dir) |
1075 | |
1076 | [version 0.28] |
1077 | |
1078 | Returns true if the first directory logically contains the second |
1079 | directory. This is just a convenience function because C<File::Spec> |
1080 | doesn't really provide an easy way to figure this out (but |
1081 | C<Path::Class> does...). |
1082 | |
1083 | =item dispatch($action, %args) |
1084 | |
1085 | [version 0.03] |
1086 | |
1087 | Invokes the build action C<$action>. Optionally, a list of options |
1088 | and their values can be passed in. This is equivalent to invoking an |
1089 | action at the command line, passing in a list of options. |
1090 | |
1091 | Custom options that have not been registered must be passed in as a |
1092 | hash reference in a key named "args": |
1093 | |
1094 | $build->dispatch('foo', verbose => 1, args => { my_option => 'value' }); |
1095 | |
1096 | This method is intended to be used to programmatically invoke build |
1097 | actions, e.g. by applications controlling Module::Build-based builds |
1098 | rather than by subclasses. |
1099 | |
7a827510 |
1100 | See also L<depends_on()|/"depends_on(@actions)">. The main |
1101 | distinction between the two is that C<depends_on()> is meant to call |
1102 | an action from inside another action, whereas C<dispatch()> is meant |
1103 | to set the very top action in motion. |
dc8021d3 |
1104 | |
1105 | =item dist_dir() |
1106 | |
1107 | [version 0.28] |
1108 | |
1109 | Returns the name of the directory that will be created during the |
1110 | C<dist> action. The name is derived from the C<dist_name> and |
1111 | C<dist_version> properties. |
1112 | |
1113 | =item dist_name() |
1114 | |
1115 | [version 0.21] |
1116 | |
1117 | Returns the name of the current distribution, as passed to the |
1118 | C<new()> method in a C<dist_name> or modified C<module_name> |
1119 | parameter. |
1120 | |
1121 | =item dist_version() |
1122 | |
1123 | [version 0.21] |
1124 | |
1125 | Returns the version of the current distribution, as determined by the |
1126 | C<new()> method from a C<dist_version>, C<dist_version_from>, or |
1127 | C<module_name> parameter. |
1128 | |
1129 | =item do_system($cmd, @args) |
1130 | |
1131 | [version 0.21] |
1132 | |
1133 | This is a fairly simple wrapper around Perl's C<system()> built-in |
1134 | command. Given a command and an array of optional arguments, this |
1135 | method will print the command to C<STDOUT>, and then execute it using |
1136 | Perl's C<system()>. It returns true or false to indicate success or |
1137 | failure (the opposite of how C<system()> works, but more intuitive). |
1138 | |
1139 | Note that if you supply a single argument to C<do_system()>, it |
1140 | will/may be processed by the systems's shell, and any special |
1141 | characters will do their special things. If you supply multiple |
1142 | arguments, no shell will get involved and the command will be executed |
1143 | directly. |
1144 | |
1145 | =item feature($name) |
1146 | |
1147 | =item feature($name => $value) |
1148 | |
1149 | [version 0.26] |
1150 | |
1151 | With a single argument, returns true if the given feature is set. |
1152 | With two arguments, sets the given feature to the given boolean value. |
1153 | In this context, a "feature" is any optional functionality of an |
1154 | installed module. For instance, if you write a module that could |
1155 | optionally support a MySQL or PostgreSQL backend, you might create |
1156 | features called C<mysql_support> and C<postgres_support>, and set them |
1157 | to true/false depending on whether the user has the proper databases |
1158 | installed and configured. |
1159 | |
1160 | Features set in this way using the Module::Build object will be |
1161 | available for querying during the build/test process and after |
7a827510 |
1162 | installation via the generated C<...::ConfigData> module, as |
dc8021d3 |
1163 | C<< ...::ConfigData->feature($name) >>. |
1164 | |
1165 | The C<feature()> and C<config_data()> methods represent |
1166 | Module::Build's main support for configuration of installed modules. |
1167 | See also L<Module::Build::Authoring/"SAVING CONFIGURATION INFORMATION">. |
1168 | |
1169 | =item have_c_compiler() |
1170 | |
1171 | [version 0.21] |
1172 | |
1173 | Returns true if the current system seems to have a working C compiler. |
1174 | We currently determine this by attempting to compile a simple C source |
1175 | file and reporting whether the attempt was successful. |
1176 | |
1177 | =item install_base_relpaths() |
1178 | |
1179 | =item install_base_relpaths($type) |
1180 | |
1181 | =item install_base_relpaths($type => $path) |
1182 | |
1183 | [version 0.28] |
1184 | |
1185 | Set or retrieve the relative paths that are appended to |
1186 | C<install_base> for any installable element. This is useful if you |
1187 | want to set the relative install path for custom build elements. |
1188 | |
1189 | With no argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing all |
1190 | elements and their respective values. This hash should not be modified |
1191 | directly; use the multi-argument below form to change values. |
1192 | |
1193 | The single argument form returns the value associated with the |
1194 | element C<$type>. |
1195 | |
1196 | The multi-argument form allows you to set the paths for element types. |
1197 | C<$value> must be a relative path using unix-like paths. (A series of |
1198 | directories seperated by slashes. Eg 'foo/bar'.) The return value is a |
1199 | localized path based on C<$value>. |
1200 | |
1201 | Assigning the value C<undef> to an element causes it to be removed. |
1202 | |
1203 | =item install_destination($type) |
1204 | |
1205 | [version 0.28] |
1206 | |
1207 | Returns the directory in which items of type C<$type> (e.g. C<lib>, |
7a827510 |
1208 | C<arch>, C<bin>, or anything else returned by the L</install_types()> |
dc8021d3 |
1209 | method) will be installed during the C<install> action. Any settings |
1210 | for C<install_path>, C<install_base>, and C<prefix> are taken into |
1211 | account when determining the return value. |
1212 | |
1213 | =item install_path() |
1214 | |
1215 | =item install_path($type) |
1216 | |
1217 | =item install_path($type => $path) |
1218 | |
1219 | [version 0.28] |
1220 | |
1221 | Set or retrieve paths for specific installable elements. This is |
1222 | useful when you want to examine any explicit install paths specified |
1223 | by the user on the command line, or if you want to set the install |
1224 | path for a specific installable element based on another attribute |
1225 | like C<install_base()>. |
1226 | |
1227 | With no argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing all |
1228 | elements and their respective values. This hash should not be modified |
1229 | directly; use the multi-argument below form to change values. |
1230 | |
1231 | The single argument form returns the value associated with the |
1232 | element C<$type>. |
1233 | |
1234 | The multi-argument form allows you to set the paths for element types. |
1235 | The supplied C<$path> should be an absolute path to install elements |
1236 | of C<$type>. The return value is C<$path>. |
1237 | |
1238 | Assigning the value C<undef> to an element causes it to be removed. |
1239 | |
1240 | =item install_types() |
1241 | |
1242 | [version 0.28] |
1243 | |
1244 | Returns a list of installable types that this build knows about. |
1245 | These types each correspond to the name of a directory in F<blib/>, |
1246 | and the list usually includes items such as C<lib>, C<arch>, C<bin>, |
1247 | C<script>, C<libdoc>, C<bindoc>, and if HTML documentation is to be |
1248 | built, C<libhtml> and C<binhtml>. Other user-defined types may also |
1249 | exist. |
1250 | |
1251 | =item invoked_action() |
1252 | |
1253 | [version 0.28] |
1254 | |
1255 | This is the name of the original action invoked by the user. This |
1256 | value is set when the user invokes F<Build.PL>, the F<Build> script, |
7a827510 |
1257 | or programatically through the L<dispatch()|/"dispatch($action, %args)"> |
1258 | method. It does not change as sub-actions are executed as |
1259 | dependencies are evaluated. |
dc8021d3 |
1260 | |
1261 | To get the name of the currently executing dependency, see |
7a827510 |
1262 | L</current_action()> above. |
dc8021d3 |
1263 | |
1264 | =item notes() |
1265 | |
1266 | =item notes($key) |
1267 | |
1268 | =item notes($key => $value) |
1269 | |
1270 | [version 0.20] |
1271 | |
1272 | The C<notes()> value allows you to store your own persistent |
1273 | information about the build, and to share that information among |
1274 | different entities involved in the build. See the example in the |
1275 | C<current()> method. |
1276 | |
1277 | The C<notes()> method is essentally a glorified hash access. With no |
1278 | arguments, C<notes()> returns the entire hash of notes. With one argument, |
1279 | C<notes($key)> returns the value associated with the given key. With two |
1280 | arguments, C<notes($key, $value)> sets the value associated with the given key |
1281 | to C<$value> and returns the new value. |
1282 | |
1283 | The lifetime of the C<notes> data is for "a build" - that is, the |
1284 | C<notes> hash is created when C<perl Build.PL> is run (or when the |
1285 | C<new()> method is run, if the Module::Build Perl API is being used |
1286 | instead of called from a shell), and lasts until C<perl Build.PL> is |
1287 | run again or the C<clean> action is run. |
1288 | |
1289 | =item orig_dir() |
1290 | |
1291 | [version 0.28] |
1292 | |
1293 | Returns a string containing the working directory that was in effect |
1294 | before the F<Build> script chdir()-ed into the C<base_dir>. This |
1295 | might be useful for writing wrapper tools that might need to chdir() |
1296 | back out. |
1297 | |
1298 | =item os_type() |
1299 | |
1300 | [version 0.04] |
1301 | |
1302 | If you're subclassing Module::Build and some code needs to alter its |
1303 | behavior based on the current platform, you may only need to know |
1304 | whether you're running on Windows, Unix, MacOS, VMS, etc., and not the |
1305 | fine-grained value of Perl's C<$^O> variable. The C<os_type()> method |
1306 | will return a string like C<Windows>, C<Unix>, C<MacOS>, C<VMS>, or |
1307 | whatever is appropriate. If you're running on an unknown platform, it |
1308 | will return C<undef> - there shouldn't be many unknown platforms |
1309 | though. |
1310 | |
c1d8f74e |
1311 | =item is_vmsish() |
1312 | |
1313 | =item is_windowsish() |
1314 | |
1315 | =item is_unixish() |
1316 | |
1317 | Convenience functions that return a boolean value indicating whether |
1318 | this platform behaves respectively like VMS, Windows, or Unix. For |
1319 | arbitrary reasons other platforms don't get their own such functions, |
1320 | at least not yet. |
1321 | |
1322 | |
dc8021d3 |
1323 | =item prefix_relpaths() |
1324 | |
1325 | =item prefix_relpaths($installdirs) |
1326 | |
1327 | =item prefix_relpaths($installdirs, $type) |
1328 | |
1329 | =item prefix_relpaths($installdirs, $type => $path) |
1330 | |
1331 | [version 0.28] |
1332 | |
1333 | Set or retrieve the relative paths that are appended to C<prefix> for |
1334 | any installable element. This is useful if you want to set the |
1335 | relative install path for custom build elements. |
1336 | |
1337 | With no argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing all |
1338 | elements and their respective values as defined by the current |
1339 | C<installdirs> setting. |
1340 | |
1341 | With a single argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing |
1342 | all elements and their respective values as defined by |
1343 | C<$installdirs>. |
1344 | |
1345 | The hash returned by the above calls should not be modified directly; |
1346 | use the three-argument below form to change values. |
1347 | |
1348 | The two argument form returns the value associated with the |
1349 | element C<$type>. |
1350 | |
1351 | The multi-argument form allows you to set the paths for element types. |
1352 | C<$value> must be a relative path using unix-like paths. (A series of |
1353 | directories seperated by slashes. Eg 'foo/bar'.) The return value is a |
1354 | localized path based on C<$value>. |
1355 | |
1356 | Assigning the value C<undef> to an element causes it to be removed. |
1357 | |
1358 | =item prepare_metadata() |
1359 | |
1360 | [version 0.28] |
1361 | |
1362 | This method is provided for authors to override to customize the |
1363 | fields of F<META.yml>. It is passed a YAML::Node node object which can |
1364 | be modified as desired and then returned. E.g. |
1365 | |
1366 | package My::Builder; |
1367 | use base 'Module::Build'; |
1368 | |
1369 | sub prepare_metadata { |
1370 | my $self = shift; |
1371 | my $node = $self->SUPER::prepare_metadata( shift ); |
1372 | $node->{custom_field} = 'foo'; |
1373 | return $node; |
1374 | } |
1375 | |
1376 | =item prereq_failures() |
1377 | |
1378 | [version 0.11] |
1379 | |
1380 | Returns a data structure containing information about any failed |
1381 | prerequisites (of any of the types described above), or C<undef> if |
1382 | all prerequisites are met. |
1383 | |
1384 | The data structure returned is a hash reference. The top level keys |
1385 | are the type of prerequisite failed, one of "requires", |
1386 | "build_requires", "conflicts", or "recommends". The associated values |
1387 | are hash references whose keys are the names of required (or |
1388 | conflicting) modules. The associated values of those are hash |
1389 | references indicating some information about the failure. For example: |
1390 | |
1391 | { |
1392 | have => '0.42', |
1393 | need => '0.59', |
1394 | message => 'Version 0.42 is installed, but we need version 0.59', |
1395 | } |
1396 | |
1397 | or |
1398 | |
1399 | { |
1400 | have => '<none>', |
1401 | need => '0.59', |
1402 | message => 'Prerequisite Foo isn't installed', |
1403 | } |
1404 | |
1405 | This hash has the same structure as the hash returned by the |
1406 | C<check_installed_status()> method, except that in the case of |
1407 | "conflicts" dependencies we change the "need" key to "conflicts" and |
1408 | construct a proper message. |
1409 | |
1410 | Examples: |
1411 | |
1412 | # Check a required dependency on Foo::Bar |
1413 | if ( $build->prereq_failures->{requires}{Foo::Bar} ) { ... |
1414 | |
1415 | # Check whether there were any failures |
1416 | if ( $build->prereq_failures ) { ... |
1417 | |
1418 | # Show messages for all failures |
1419 | my $failures = $build->prereq_failures; |
1420 | while (my ($type, $list) = each %$failures) { |
1421 | while (my ($name, $hash) = each %$list) { |
1422 | print "Failure for $name: $hash->{message}\n"; |
1423 | } |
1424 | } |
1425 | |
1426 | =item prereq_report() |
1427 | |
1428 | [version 0.28] |
1429 | |
1430 | Returns a human-readable (table-form) string showing all |
1431 | prerequisites, the versions required, and the versions actually |
1432 | installed. This can be useful for reviewing the configuration of your |
1433 | system prior to a build, or when compiling data to send for a bug |
1434 | report. The C<prereq_report> action is just a thin wrapper around the |
1435 | C<prereq_report()> method. |
1436 | |
1437 | =item prompt($message, $default) |
1438 | |
1439 | [version 0.12] |
1440 | |
1441 | Asks the user a question and returns their response as a string. The |
1442 | first argument specifies the message to display to the user (for |
1443 | example, C<"Where do you keep your money?">). The second argument, |
1444 | which is optional, specifies a default answer (for example, |
1445 | C<"wallet">). The user will be asked the question once. |
1446 | |
1447 | If C<prompt()> detects that it is not running interactively and there |
1448 | is nothing on STDIN or if the PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT environment variable |
7253302f |
1449 | is set to true, the $default will be used without prompting. |
1450 | |
1451 | To prevent automated processes from blocking, the user must either set |
1452 | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT or attach something to STDIN (this can be a |
1453 | pipe/file containing a scripted set of answers or /dev/null.) |
dc8021d3 |
1454 | |
7253302f |
1455 | If no $default is provided an empty string will be used instead. In |
1456 | non-interactive mode, the absence of $default is an error (though |
1457 | explicitly passing C<undef()> as the default is valid as of 0.27.) |
dc8021d3 |
1458 | |
1459 | This method may be called as a class or object method. |
1460 | |
1461 | =item recommends() |
1462 | |
1463 | [version 0.21] |
1464 | |
1465 | Returns a hash reference indicating the C<recommends> prerequisites |
1466 | that were passed to the C<new()> method. |
1467 | |
1468 | =item requires() |
1469 | |
1470 | [version 0.21] |
1471 | |
1472 | Returns a hash reference indicating the C<requires> prerequisites that |
1473 | were passed to the C<new()> method. |
1474 | |
1475 | =item rscan_dir($dir, $pattern) |
1476 | |
1477 | [version 0.28] |
1478 | |
1479 | Uses C<File::Find> to traverse the directory C<$dir>, returning a |
1480 | reference to an array of entries matching C<$pattern>. C<$pattern> |
1481 | may either be a regular expression (using C<qr//> or just a plain |
1482 | string), or a reference to a subroutine that will return true for |
1483 | wanted entries. If C<$pattern> is not given, all entries will be |
1484 | returned. |
1485 | |
1486 | Examples: |
1487 | |
1488 | # All the *.pm files in lib/ |
1489 | $m->rscan_dir('lib', qr/\.pm$/) |
7a827510 |
1490 | |
dc8021d3 |
1491 | # All the files in blib/ that aren't *.html files |
1492 | $m->rscan_dir('blib', sub {-f $_ and not /\.html$/}); |
1493 | |
1494 | # All the files in t/ |
1495 | $m->rscan_dir('t'); |
1496 | |
1497 | =item runtime_params() |
1498 | |
1499 | =item runtime_params($key) |
1500 | |
1501 | [version 0.28] |
1502 | |
1503 | The C<runtime_params()> method stores the values passed on the command line |
1504 | for valid properties (that is, any command line options for which |
1505 | C<valid_property()> returns a true value). The value on the command line may |
1506 | override the default value for a property, as well as any value specified in a |
1507 | call to C<new()>. This allows you to programmatically tell if C<perl Build.PL> |
1508 | or any execution of C<./Build> had command line options specified that |
1509 | override valid properties. |
1510 | |
1511 | The C<runtime_params()> method is essentally a glorified read-only hash. With |
1512 | no arguments, C<runtime_params()> returns the entire hash of properties |
1513 | specified on the command line. With one argument, C<runtime_params($key)> |
1514 | returns the value associated with the given key. |
1515 | |
1516 | The lifetime of the C<runtime_params> data is for "a build" - that is, the |
1517 | C<runtime_params> hash is created when C<perl Build.PL> is run (or when the |
1518 | C<new()> method is called, if the Module::Build Perl API is being used instead |
1519 | of called from a shell), and lasts until C<perl Build.PL> is run again or the |
1520 | C<clean> action is run. |
1521 | |
1522 | =item script_files() |
1523 | |
1524 | [version 0.18] |
1525 | |
1526 | Returns a hash reference whose keys are the perl script files to be |
1527 | installed, if any. This corresponds to the C<script_files> parameter to the |
1528 | C<new()> method. With an optional argument, this parameter may be set |
1529 | dynamically. |
1530 | |
1531 | For backward compatibility, the C<scripts()> method does exactly the |
1532 | same thing as C<script_files()>. C<scripts()> is deprecated, but it |
1533 | will stay around for several versions to give people time to |
1534 | transition. |
1535 | |
1536 | =item up_to_date($source_file, $derived_file) |
1537 | |
1538 | =item up_to_date(\@source_files, \@derived_files) |
1539 | |
1540 | [version 0.20] |
1541 | |
1542 | This method can be used to compare a set of source files to a set of |
1543 | derived files. If any of the source files are newer than any of the |
1544 | derived files, it returns false. Additionally, if any of the derived |
1545 | files do not exist, it returns false. Otherwise it returns true. |
1546 | |
1547 | The arguments may be either a scalar or an array reference of file |
1548 | names. |
1549 | |
1550 | =item y_n($message, $default) |
1551 | |
1552 | [version 0.12] |
1553 | |
1554 | Asks the user a yes/no question using C<prompt()> and returns true or |
1555 | false accordingly. The user will be asked the question repeatedly |
1556 | until they give an answer that looks like "yes" or "no". |
1557 | |
1558 | The first argument specifies the message to display to the user (for |
1559 | example, C<"Shall I invest your money for you?">), and the second |
1560 | argument specifies the default answer (for example, C<"y">). |
1561 | |
1562 | Note that the default is specified as a string like C<"y"> or C<"n">, |
1563 | and the return value is a Perl boolean value like 1 or 0. I thought |
1564 | about this for a while and this seemed like the most useful way to do |
1565 | it. |
1566 | |
1567 | This method may be called as a class or object method. |
1568 | |
1569 | =back |
1570 | |
1571 | |
1572 | =head2 Autogenerated Accessors |
1573 | |
1574 | In addition to the aforementioned methods, there are also some get/set |
1575 | accessor methods for the following properties: |
1576 | |
1577 | =over 4 |
1578 | |
1579 | =item PL_files() |
1580 | |
0ec9ad96 |
1581 | =item allow_mb_mismatch() |
1582 | |
dc8021d3 |
1583 | =item autosplit() |
1584 | |
1585 | =item base_dir() |
1586 | |
1587 | =item bindoc_dirs() |
1588 | |
1589 | =item blib() |
1590 | |
1591 | =item build_bat() |
1592 | |
1593 | =item build_class() |
1594 | |
1595 | =item build_elements() |
1596 | |
1597 | =item build_requires() |
1598 | |
1599 | =item build_script() |
1600 | |
1601 | =item c_source() |
1602 | |
dc8021d3 |
1603 | =item config_dir() |
1604 | |
7a827510 |
1605 | =item configure_requires() |
1606 | |
dc8021d3 |
1607 | =item conflicts() |
1608 | |
1609 | =item create_makefile_pl() |
1610 | |
1611 | =item create_packlist() |
1612 | |
1613 | =item create_readme() |
1614 | |
1615 | =item debugger() |
1616 | |
1617 | =item destdir() |
1618 | |
1619 | =item get_options() |
1620 | |
1621 | =item html_css() |
1622 | |
1623 | =item include_dirs() |
1624 | |
1625 | =item install_base() |
1626 | |
1627 | =item install_sets() |
1628 | |
1629 | =item installdirs() |
1630 | |
1631 | =item libdoc_dirs() |
1632 | |
1633 | =item license() |
1634 | |
1635 | =item magic_number() |
1636 | |
1637 | =item mb_version() |
1638 | |
1639 | =item meta_add() |
1640 | |
1641 | =item meta_merge() |
1642 | |
1643 | =item metafile() |
1644 | |
1645 | =item module_name() |
1646 | |
1647 | =item orig_dir() |
1648 | |
1649 | =item original_prefix() |
1650 | |
1651 | =item perl() |
1652 | |
1653 | =item pm_files() |
1654 | |
1655 | =item pod_files() |
1656 | |
1657 | =item pollute() |
1658 | |
1659 | =item prefix() |
1660 | |
1661 | =item prereq_action_types() |
1662 | |
1663 | =item quiet() |
1664 | |
1665 | =item recommends() |
1666 | |
1667 | =item recurse_into() |
1668 | |
1669 | =item recursive_test_files() |
1670 | |
1671 | =item requires() |
1672 | |
1673 | =item scripts() |
1674 | |
1675 | =item use_rcfile() |
1676 | |
1677 | =item verbose() |
1678 | |
1679 | =item xs_files() |
1680 | |
1681 | =back |
1682 | |
1683 | |
7a827510 |
1684 | =head1 MODULE METADATA |
1685 | |
1686 | If you would like to add other useful metadata, C<Module::Build> |
1687 | supports this with the C<meta_add> and C<meta_merge> arguments to |
1688 | L</new>. The authoritative list of supported metadata can be found at |
1689 | L<http://module-build.sourceforge.net/META-spec-current.html>, but for |
1690 | convenience - here are a few of the more useful ones: |
1691 | |
1692 | =over 4 |
1693 | |
1694 | =item keywords |
1695 | |
1696 | For describing the distribution using keyword (or "tags") in order to |
1697 | make CPAN.org indexing and search more efficient and useful. |
1698 | |
1699 | See L<http://module-build.sourceforge.net/META-spec-current.html#keywords>. |
1700 | |
1701 | =item resources |
1702 | |
1703 | A list of additional resources available for users of the |
1704 | distribution. This can include links to a homepage on the web, a |
1705 | bugtracker, the repository location, a even subscription page for the |
1706 | distribution mailing list. |
1707 | |
1708 | See L<http://module-build.sourceforge.net/META-spec-current.html#resources>. |
1709 | |
1710 | =back |
1711 | |
1712 | |
dc8021d3 |
1713 | =head1 AUTHOR |
1714 | |
1715 | Ken Williams <kwilliams@cpan.org> |
1716 | |
1717 | |
1718 | =head1 COPYRIGHT |
1719 | |
1720 | Copyright (c) 2001-2006 Ken Williams. All rights reserved. |
1721 | |
1722 | This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or |
1723 | modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. |
1724 | |
1725 | |
1726 | =head1 SEE ALSO |
1727 | |
1728 | perl(1), L<Module::Build>(3), L<Module::Build::Authoring>(3), |
1729 | L<Module::Build::Cookbook>(3), L<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>(3), L<YAML>(3) |
1730 | |
1731 | F<META.yml> Specification: |
77e96e88 |
1732 | L<http://module-build.sourceforge.net/META-spec-current.html> |
dc8021d3 |
1733 | |
1734 | =cut |