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1 | =for maintainers |
2 | Generated by perlmodlib.PL -- DO NOT EDIT! |
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3 | |
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4 | =head1 NAME |
5 | |
6 | perlmodlib - constructing new Perl modules and finding existing ones |
7 | |
8 | =head1 DESCRIPTION |
9 | |
10 | =head1 THE PERL MODULE LIBRARY |
11 | |
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12 | Many modules are included the Perl distribution. These are described |
13 | below, and all end in F<.pm>. You may discover compiled library |
14 | file (usually ending in F<.so>) or small pieces of modules to be |
15 | autoloaded (ending in F<.al>); these were automatically generated |
16 | by the installation process. You may also discover files in the |
17 | library directory that end in either F<.pl> or F<.ph>. These are |
18 | old libraries supplied so that old programs that use them still |
19 | run. The F<.pl> files will all eventually be converted into standard |
20 | modules, and the F<.ph> files made by B<h2ph> will probably end up |
21 | as extension modules made by B<h2xs>. (Some F<.ph> values may |
22 | already be available through the POSIX, Errno, or Fcntl modules.) |
23 | The B<pl2pm> file in the distribution may help in your conversion, |
24 | but it's just a mechanical process and therefore far from bulletproof. |
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25 | |
26 | =head2 Pragmatic Modules |
27 | |
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28 | They work somewhat like compiler directives (pragmata) in that they |
29 | tend to affect the compilation of your program, and thus will usually |
30 | work well only when used within a C<use>, or C<no>. Most of these |
31 | are lexically scoped, so an inner BLOCK may countermand them |
32 | by saying: |
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33 | |
34 | no integer; |
35 | no strict 'refs'; |
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36 | no warnings; |
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37 | |
38 | which lasts until the end of that BLOCK. |
39 | |
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40 | Some pragmas are lexically scoped--typically those that affect the |
41 | C<$^H> hints variable. Others affect the current package instead, |
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42 | like C<use vars> and C<use subs>, which allow you to predeclare a |
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43 | variables or subroutines within a particular I<file> rather than |
44 | just a block. Such declarations are effective for the entire file |
45 | for which they were declared. You cannot rescind them with C<no |
46 | vars> or C<no subs>. |
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47 | |
48 | The following pragmas are defined (and have their own documentation). |
49 | |
50 | =over 12 |
51 | |
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52 | =item attributes |
53 | |
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54 | Get/set subroutine or variable attributes |
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55 | |
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56 | =item autouse |
57 | |
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58 | Postpone load of modules until a function is used |
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59 | |
60 | =item base |
61 | |
62 | Establish IS-A relationship with base class at compile time |
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63 | |
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64 | =item bigint |
65 | |
66 | Transparent big integer support for Perl |
67 | |
68 | =item bignum |
69 | |
70 | Transparent BigNumber support for Perl |
71 | |
72 | =item bigrat |
73 | |
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74 | Transparent BigNumber/BigRational support for Perl |
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75 | |
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76 | =item blib |
77 | |
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78 | Use MakeMaker's uninstalled version of a package |
79 | |
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80 | =item bytes |
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81 | |
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82 | Force byte semantics rather than character semantics |
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83 | |
84 | =item charnames |
85 | |
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86 | Define character names for C<\N{named}> string literal escapes. |
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87 | |
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88 | =item constant |
89 | |
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90 | Declare constants |
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91 | |
92 | =item diagnostics |
93 | |
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94 | Perl compiler pragma to force verbose warning diagnostics |
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95 | |
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96 | =item encoding |
97 | |
98 | Pragma to control the conversion of legacy data into Unicode |
99 | |
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100 | =item fields |
101 | |
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102 | Compile-time class fields |
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103 | |
104 | =item filetest |
105 | |
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106 | Control the filetest permission operators |
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107 | |
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108 | =item if |
109 | |
110 | C<use> a Perl module if a condition holds |
111 | |
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112 | =item integer |
113 | |
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114 | Use integer arithmetic instead of floating point |
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115 | |
116 | =item less |
117 | |
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118 | Request less of something from the compiler |
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119 | |
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120 | =item locale |
121 | |
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122 | Use and avoid POSIX locales for built-in operations |
123 | |
124 | =item open |
125 | |
126 | Set default disciplines for input and output |
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127 | |
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128 | =item overload |
129 | |
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130 | Package for overloading perl operations |
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131 | |
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132 | =item re |
133 | |
134 | Alter regular expression behaviour |
135 | |
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136 | =item sigtrap |
137 | |
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138 | Enable simple signal handling |
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139 | |
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140 | =item sort |
141 | |
142 | Control sort() behaviour |
143 | |
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144 | =item strict |
145 | |
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146 | Restrict unsafe constructs |
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147 | |
148 | =item subs |
149 | |
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150 | Predeclare sub names |
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151 | |
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152 | =item utf8 |
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153 | |
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154 | Enable/disable UTF-8 (or UTF-EBCDIC) in source code |
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155 | |
156 | =item vars |
157 | |
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158 | Predeclare global variable names (obsolete) |
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159 | |
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160 | =item vmsish |
161 | |
162 | Control VMS-specific language features |
163 | |
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164 | =item warnings |
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165 | |
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166 | Control optional warnings |
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167 | |
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168 | =item warnings::register |
169 | |
170 | Warnings import function |
171 | |
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172 | =back |
173 | |
174 | =head2 Standard Modules |
175 | |
176 | Standard, bundled modules are all expected to behave in a well-defined |
177 | manner with respect to namespace pollution because they use the |
178 | Exporter module. See their own documentation for details. |
179 | |
180 | =over 12 |
181 | |
182 | =item AnyDBM_File |
183 | |
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184 | Provide framework for multiple DBMs |
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185 | |
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186 | =item Attribute::Handlers |
187 | |
188 | Simpler definition of attribute handlers |
189 | |
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190 | =item AutoLoader |
191 | |
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192 | Load subroutines only on demand |
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193 | |
194 | =item AutoSplit |
195 | |
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196 | Split a package for autoloading |
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197 | |
198 | =item Benchmark |
199 | |
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200 | Benchmark running times of Perl code |
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201 | |
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202 | =item CGI |
203 | |
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204 | Simple Common Gateway Interface Class |
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205 | |
206 | =item CGI::Apache |
207 | |
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208 | Backward compatibility module for CGI.pm |
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209 | |
210 | =item CGI::Carp |
211 | |
212 | CGI routines for writing to the HTTPD (or other) error log |
213 | |
214 | =item CGI::Cookie |
215 | |
216 | Interface to Netscape Cookies |
217 | |
218 | =item CGI::Fast |
219 | |
220 | CGI Interface for Fast CGI |
221 | |
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222 | =item CGI::Pretty |
223 | |
224 | Module to produce nicely formatted HTML code |
225 | |
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226 | =item CGI::Push |
227 | |
228 | Simple Interface to Server Push |
229 | |
230 | =item CGI::Switch |
231 | |
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232 | Backward compatibility module for defunct CGI::Switch |
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233 | |
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234 | =item CGI::Util |
235 | |
236 | Internal utilities used by CGI module |
237 | |
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238 | =item CPAN |
239 | |
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240 | Query, download and build perl modules from CPAN sites |
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241 | |
242 | =item CPAN::FirstTime |
243 | |
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244 | Utility for CPAN::Config file Initialization |
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245 | |
246 | =item CPAN::Nox |
247 | |
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248 | Wrapper around CPAN.pm without using any XS module |
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249 | |
250 | =item Carp |
251 | |
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252 | Warn of errors (from perspective of caller) |
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253 | |
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254 | =item Carp::Heavy |
255 | |
256 | No user serviceable parts inside |
257 | |
258 | =item Class::ISA |
259 | |
260 | Report the search path for a class's ISA tree |
261 | |
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262 | =item Class::Struct |
263 | |
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264 | Declare struct-like datatypes as Perl classes |
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265 | |
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266 | =item Cwd |
267 | |
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268 | Get pathname of current working directory |
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269 | |
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270 | =item DB |
271 | |
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272 | Programmatic interface to the Perl debugging API (draft, subject to |
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273 | |
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274 | =item Devel::SelfStubber |
275 | |
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276 | Generate stubs for a SelfLoading module |
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277 | |
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278 | =item Digest |
279 | |
280 | Modules that calculate message digests |
281 | |
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282 | =item DirHandle |
283 | |
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284 | Supply object methods for directory handles |
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285 | |
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286 | =item Dumpvalue |
287 | |
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288 | Provides screen dump of Perl data. |
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289 | |
290 | =item English |
291 | |
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292 | Use nice English (or awk) names for ugly punctuation variables |
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293 | |
294 | =item Env |
295 | |
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296 | Perl module that imports environment variables as scalars or arrays |
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297 | |
298 | =item Exporter |
299 | |
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300 | Implements default import method for modules |
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301 | |
302 | =item Exporter::Heavy |
303 | |
304 | Exporter guts |
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305 | |
306 | =item ExtUtils::Command |
307 | |
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308 | Utilities to replace common UNIX commands in Makefiles etc. |
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309 | |
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310 | =item ExtUtils::Constant |
311 | |
312 | Generate XS code to import C header constants |
313 | |
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314 | =item ExtUtils::Embed |
315 | |
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316 | Utilities for embedding Perl in C/C++ applications |
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317 | |
318 | =item ExtUtils::Install |
319 | |
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320 | Install files from here to there |
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321 | |
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322 | =item ExtUtils::Installed |
323 | |
324 | Inventory management of installed modules |
325 | |
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326 | =item ExtUtils::Liblist |
327 | |
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328 | Determine libraries to use and how to use them |
329 | |
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330 | =item ExtUtils::MM_BeOS |
331 | |
332 | Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
333 | |
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334 | =item ExtUtils::MM_Cygwin |
335 | |
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336 | Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
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337 | |
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338 | =item ExtUtils::MM_NW5 |
339 | |
340 | Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
341 | |
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342 | =item ExtUtils::MM_OS2 |
343 | |
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344 | Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
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345 | |
346 | =item ExtUtils::MM_Unix |
347 | |
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348 | Methods used by ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
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349 | |
350 | =item ExtUtils::MM_VMS |
351 | |
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352 | Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
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353 | |
354 | =item ExtUtils::MM_Win32 |
355 | |
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356 | Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
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357 | |
358 | =item ExtUtils::MakeMaker |
359 | |
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360 | Create an extension Makefile |
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361 | |
362 | =item ExtUtils::Manifest |
363 | |
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364 | Utilities to write and check a MANIFEST file |
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365 | |
366 | =item ExtUtils::Mkbootstrap |
367 | |
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368 | Make a bootstrap file for use by DynaLoader |
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369 | |
370 | =item ExtUtils::Mksymlists |
371 | |
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372 | Write linker options files for dynamic extension |
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373 | |
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374 | =item ExtUtils::Packlist |
375 | |
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376 | Manage .packlist files |
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377 | |
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378 | =item ExtUtils::testlib |
379 | |
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380 | Add blib/* directories to @INC |
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381 | |
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382 | =item Fatal |
383 | |
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384 | Replace functions with equivalents which succeed or die |
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385 | |
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386 | =item File::Basename |
387 | |
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388 | Split a pathname into pieces |
389 | |
390 | =item File::CheckTree |
391 | |
392 | Run many filetest checks on a tree |
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393 | |
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394 | =item File::Compare |
395 | |
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396 | Compare files or filehandles |
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397 | |
398 | =item File::Copy |
399 | |
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400 | Copy files or filehandles |
401 | |
402 | =item File::DosGlob |
403 | |
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404 | DOS like globbing and then some |
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405 | |
406 | =item File::Find |
407 | |
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408 | Traverse a directory tree. |
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409 | |
410 | =item File::Path |
411 | |
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412 | Create or remove directory trees |
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413 | |
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414 | =item File::Spec |
415 | |
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416 | Portably perform operations on file names |
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417 | |
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418 | =item File::Spec::Cygwin |
419 | |
420 | Methods for Cygwin file specs |
421 | |
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422 | =item File::Spec::Epoc |
423 | |
424 | Methods for Epoc file specs |
425 | |
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426 | =item File::Spec::Functions |
427 | |
9e107c59 |
428 | Portably perform operations on file names |
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429 | |
430 | =item File::Spec::Mac |
431 | |
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432 | File::Spec for Mac OS (Classic) |
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433 | |
434 | =item File::Spec::OS2 |
435 | |
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436 | Methods for OS/2 file specs |
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437 | |
438 | =item File::Spec::Unix |
439 | |
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440 | File::Spec for Unix, base for other File::Spec modules |
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441 | |
442 | =item File::Spec::VMS |
443 | |
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444 | Methods for VMS file specs |
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445 | |
446 | =item File::Spec::Win32 |
447 | |
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448 | Methods for Win32 file specs |
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449 | |
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450 | =item File::Temp |
451 | |
452 | Return name and handle of a temporary file safely |
453 | |
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454 | =item File::stat |
455 | |
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456 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in stat() functions |
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457 | |
458 | =item FileCache |
459 | |
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460 | Keep more files open than the system permits |
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461 | |
462 | =item FileHandle |
463 | |
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464 | Supply object methods for filehandles |
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465 | |
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466 | =item Filter::Simple |
467 | |
468 | Simplified source filtering |
469 | |
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470 | =item FindBin |
471 | |
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472 | Locate directory of original perl script |
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473 | |
474 | =item Getopt::Long |
475 | |
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476 | Extended processing of command line options |
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477 | |
478 | =item Getopt::Std |
479 | |
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480 | Process single-character switches with switch clustering |
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481 | |
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482 | =item Hash::Util |
483 | |
484 | A selection of general-utility hash subroutines |
485 | |
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486 | =item I18N::Collate |
487 | |
2e1d04bc |
488 | Compare 8-bit scalar data according to the current locale |
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489 | |
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490 | =item I18N::LangTags |
491 | |
492 | Functions for dealing with RFC3066-style language tags |
493 | |
494 | =item I18N::LangTags::List |
495 | |
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496 | Tags and names for human languages |
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497 | |
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498 | =item IPC::Open2 |
499 | |
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500 | Open a process for both reading and writing |
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501 | |
502 | =item IPC::Open3 |
503 | |
9e107c59 |
504 | Open a process for reading, writing, and error handling |
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505 | |
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506 | =item Locale::Constants |
507 | |
508 | Constants for Locale codes |
509 | |
510 | =item Locale::Country |
511 | |
512 | ISO codes for country identification (ISO 3166) |
513 | |
514 | =item Locale::Currency |
515 | |
516 | ISO three letter codes for currency identification (ISO 4217) |
517 | |
518 | =item Locale::Language |
519 | |
520 | ISO two letter codes for language identification (ISO 639) |
521 | |
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522 | =item Locale::Maketext |
523 | |
524 | Framework for localization |
525 | |
526 | =item Locale::Maketext::TPJ13 |
527 | |
528 | Article about software localization |
529 | |
d63e6bb6 |
530 | =item Locale::Script |
531 | |
532 | ISO codes for script identification (ISO 15924) |
533 | |
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534 | =item Math::BigFloat |
535 | |
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536 | Arbitrary size floating point math package |
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537 | |
538 | =item Math::BigInt |
539 | |
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540 | Arbitrary size integer math package |
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541 | |
d0363f02 |
542 | =item Math::BigInt::Calc |
543 | |
544 | Pure Perl module to support Math::BigInt |
545 | |
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546 | =item Math::BigRat |
547 | |
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548 | Arbitrarily big rationals |
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549 | |
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550 | =item Math::Complex |
551 | |
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552 | Complex numbers and associated mathematical functions |
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553 | |
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554 | =item Math::Trig |
555 | |
9e107c59 |
556 | Trigonometric functions |
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557 | |
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558 | =item Memoize |
559 | |
560 | Make your functions faster by trading space for time |
561 | |
562 | =item Memoize::AnyDBM_File |
563 | |
564 | Glue to provide EXISTS for AnyDBM_File for Storable use |
565 | |
566 | =item Memoize::Expire |
567 | |
568 | Plug-in module for automatic expiration of memoized values |
569 | |
570 | =item Memoize::ExpireFile |
571 | |
572 | Test for Memoize expiration semantics |
573 | |
574 | =item Memoize::ExpireTest |
575 | |
576 | Test for Memoize expiration semantics |
577 | |
578 | =item Memoize::NDBM_File |
579 | |
580 | Glue to provide EXISTS for NDBM_File for Storable use |
581 | |
582 | =item Memoize::SDBM_File |
583 | |
584 | Glue to provide EXISTS for SDBM_File for Storable use |
585 | |
5d80033a |
586 | =item Memoize::Storable |
587 | |
588 | Store Memoized data in Storable database |
589 | |
1fa7ca25 |
590 | =item NEXT |
591 | |
592 | Provide a pseudo-class NEXT that allows method redispatch |
593 | |
5d80033a |
594 | =item Net::Cmd |
595 | |
596 | Network Command class (as used by FTP, SMTP etc) |
597 | |
598 | =item Net::Config |
599 | |
600 | Local configuration data for libnet |
601 | |
602 | =item Net::Domain |
603 | |
604 | Attempt to evaluate the current host's internet name and domain |
605 | |
5d80033a |
606 | =item Net::FTP |
607 | |
608 | FTP Client class |
609 | |
610 | =item Net::NNTP |
611 | |
612 | NNTP Client class |
613 | |
614 | =item Net::Netrc |
615 | |
616 | OO interface to users netrc file |
617 | |
5d80033a |
618 | =item Net::POP3 |
619 | |
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620 | Post Office Protocol 3 Client class (RFC1939) |
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621 | |
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622 | =item Net::Ping |
623 | |
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624 | Check a remote host for reachability |
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625 | |
5d80033a |
626 | =item Net::SMTP |
627 | |
628 | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Client |
629 | |
5d80033a |
630 | =item Net::Time |
631 | |
632 | Time and daytime network client interface |
633 | |
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634 | =item Net::hostent |
635 | |
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636 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in gethost*() functions |
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637 | |
5d80033a |
638 | =item Net::libnetFAQ |
639 | |
640 | Libnet Frequently Asked Questions |
641 | |
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642 | =item Net::netent |
643 | |
9e107c59 |
644 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in getnet*() functions |
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645 | |
646 | =item Net::protoent |
647 | |
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648 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in getproto*() functions |
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649 | |
650 | =item Net::servent |
651 | |
9e107c59 |
652 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in getserv*() functions |
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653 | |
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654 | =item PerlIO |
655 | |
656 | On demand loader for PerlIO layers and root of PerlIO::* name space |
657 | |
9e107c59 |
658 | =item Pod::Checker |
659 | |
660 | Check pod documents for syntax errors |
661 | |
2e1d04bc |
662 | =item Pod::Find |
663 | |
664 | Find POD documents in directory trees |
665 | |
06a5f41f |
666 | =item Pod::Functions |
667 | |
668 | Group Perl's functions a la perlfunc.pod |
669 | |
19799a22 |
670 | =item Pod::Html |
671 | |
9e107c59 |
672 | Module to convert pod files to HTML |
673 | |
674 | =item Pod::InputObjects |
675 | |
2e1d04bc |
676 | Objects representing POD input paragraphs, commands, etc. |
9e107c59 |
677 | |
13a2d996 |
678 | =item Pod::LaTeX |
679 | |
680 | Convert Pod data to formatted Latex |
681 | |
9e107c59 |
682 | =item Pod::Man |
683 | |
684 | Convert POD data to formatted *roff input |
685 | |
1bb908c3 |
686 | =item Pod::ParseLink |
687 | |
248e172a |
688 | Parse an LE<lt>E<gt> formatting code in POD text |
1bb908c3 |
689 | |
2e1d04bc |
690 | =item Pod::ParseUtils |
691 | |
692 | Helpers for POD parsing and conversion |
693 | |
9e107c59 |
694 | =item Pod::Parser |
695 | |
696 | Base class for creating POD filters and translators |
697 | |
2e1d04bc |
698 | =item Pod::Plainer |
699 | |
700 | Perl extension for converting Pod to old style Pod. |
701 | |
9e107c59 |
702 | =item Pod::Select |
703 | |
704 | Extract selected sections of POD from input |
19799a22 |
705 | |
706 | =item Pod::Text |
707 | |
9e107c59 |
708 | Convert POD data to formatted ASCII text |
709 | |
710 | =item Pod::Text::Color |
711 | |
712 | Convert POD data to formatted color ASCII text |
713 | |
4e860d0a |
714 | =item Pod::Text::Overstrike |
715 | |
716 | Convert POD data to formatted overstrike text |
717 | |
2e1d04bc |
718 | =item Pod::Text::Termcap |
719 | |
720 | Convert POD data to ASCII text with format escapes |
721 | |
9e107c59 |
722 | =item Pod::Usage |
723 | |
724 | Print a usage message from embedded pod documentation |
f102b883 |
725 | |
1bb908c3 |
726 | =item Pod::t::basic |
727 | |
728 | Test of various basic POD features in translators. |
729 | |
f102b883 |
730 | =item Search::Dict |
731 | |
9e107c59 |
732 | Search for key in dictionary file |
f102b883 |
733 | |
734 | =item SelectSaver |
735 | |
9e107c59 |
736 | Save and restore selected file handle |
f102b883 |
737 | |
738 | =item SelfLoader |
739 | |
9e107c59 |
740 | Load functions only on demand |
f102b883 |
741 | |
742 | =item Shell |
743 | |
2e1d04bc |
744 | Run shell commands transparently within perl |
f102b883 |
745 | |
4e860d0a |
746 | =item Switch |
747 | |
748 | A switch statement for Perl |
749 | |
f102b883 |
750 | =item Symbol |
751 | |
9e107c59 |
752 | Manipulate Perl symbols and their names |
f102b883 |
753 | |
2e1d04bc |
754 | =item Term::ANSIColor |
f102b883 |
755 | |
2e1d04bc |
756 | Color screen output using ANSI escape sequences |
f102b883 |
757 | |
758 | =item Term::Cap |
759 | |
2e1d04bc |
760 | Perl termcap interface |
f102b883 |
761 | |
762 | =item Term::Complete |
763 | |
2e1d04bc |
764 | Perl word completion module |
f102b883 |
765 | |
766 | =item Term::ReadLine |
767 | |
2e1d04bc |
768 | Perl interface to various C<readline> packages. If |
19799a22 |
769 | |
770 | =item Test |
771 | |
9e107c59 |
772 | Provides a simple framework for writing test scripts |
f102b883 |
773 | |
1bb908c3 |
774 | =item Test::Builder |
775 | |
776 | Backend for building test libraries |
777 | |
f102b883 |
778 | =item Test::Harness |
779 | |
2e1d04bc |
780 | Run perl standard test scripts with statistics |
f102b883 |
781 | |
d63e6bb6 |
782 | =item Test::Harness::Assert |
783 | |
784 | Simple assert |
785 | |
786 | =item Test::Harness::Iterator |
787 | |
788 | Internal Test::Harness Iterator |
789 | |
790 | =item Test::Harness::Straps |
791 | |
792 | Detailed analysis of test results |
793 | |
7a49b635 |
794 | =item Test::More |
795 | |
796 | Yet another framework for writing test scripts |
797 | |
798 | =item Test::Simple |
799 | |
800 | Basic utilities for writing tests. |
801 | |
e61ecf27 |
802 | =item Test::Tutorial |
803 | |
804 | A tutorial about writing really basic tests |
805 | |
f102b883 |
806 | =item Text::Abbrev |
807 | |
9e107c59 |
808 | Create an abbreviation table from a list |
f102b883 |
809 | |
4e860d0a |
810 | =item Text::Balanced |
811 | |
812 | Extract delimited text sequences from strings. |
813 | |
f102b883 |
814 | =item Text::ParseWords |
815 | |
2e1d04bc |
816 | Parse text into an array of tokens or array of arrays |
f102b883 |
817 | |
818 | =item Text::Soundex |
819 | |
2e1d04bc |
820 | Implementation of the Soundex Algorithm as Described by Knuth |
f102b883 |
821 | |
4e860d0a |
822 | =item Text::Tabs |
823 | |
824 | Expand and unexpand tabs per the unix expand(1) and unexpand(1) |
825 | |
f102b883 |
826 | =item Text::Wrap |
827 | |
9e107c59 |
828 | Line wrapping to form simple paragraphs |
19799a22 |
829 | |
1bb908c3 |
830 | =item Thread |
831 | |
832 | Manipulate threads in Perl |
833 | |
19799a22 |
834 | =item Tie::Array |
835 | |
9e107c59 |
836 | Base class for tied arrays |
19799a22 |
837 | |
d63e6bb6 |
838 | =item Tie::File |
839 | |
840 | Access the lines of a disk file via a Perl array |
841 | |
19799a22 |
842 | =item Tie::Handle |
843 | |
9e107c59 |
844 | Base class definitions for tied handles |
19799a22 |
845 | |
9e107c59 |
846 | =item Tie::Hash |
f102b883 |
847 | |
9e107c59 |
848 | Base class definitions for tied hashes |
f102b883 |
849 | |
d63e6bb6 |
850 | =item Tie::Memoize |
851 | |
852 | Add data to hash when needed |
853 | |
f102b883 |
854 | =item Tie::RefHash |
855 | |
9e107c59 |
856 | Use references as hash keys |
f102b883 |
857 | |
9e107c59 |
858 | =item Tie::Scalar |
f102b883 |
859 | |
9e107c59 |
860 | Base class definitions for tied scalars |
f102b883 |
861 | |
862 | =item Tie::SubstrHash |
863 | |
19799a22 |
864 | Fixed-table-size, fixed-key-length hashing |
f102b883 |
865 | |
866 | =item Time::Local |
867 | |
9e107c59 |
868 | Efficiently compute time from local and GMT time |
f102b883 |
869 | |
870 | =item Time::gmtime |
871 | |
9e107c59 |
872 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in gmtime() function |
f102b883 |
873 | |
874 | =item Time::localtime |
875 | |
9e107c59 |
876 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in localtime() function |
f102b883 |
877 | |
878 | =item Time::tm |
879 | |
9e107c59 |
880 | Internal object used by Time::gmtime and Time::localtime |
f102b883 |
881 | |
882 | =item UNIVERSAL |
883 | |
9e107c59 |
884 | Base class for ALL classes (blessed references) |
f102b883 |
885 | |
e61ecf27 |
886 | =item Unicode::Collate |
887 | |
888 | Use UCA (Unicode Collation Algorithm) |
889 | |
e61ecf27 |
890 | =item Unicode::UCD |
fbe3d936 |
891 | |
892 | Unicode character database |
893 | |
f102b883 |
894 | =item User::grent |
895 | |
9e107c59 |
896 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in getgr*() functions |
f102b883 |
897 | |
898 | =item User::pwent |
899 | |
9e107c59 |
900 | By-name interface to Perl's built-in getpw*() functions |
f102b883 |
901 | |
4e860d0a |
902 | =item Win32 |
903 | |
904 | Interfaces to some Win32 API Functions |
905 | |
f102b883 |
906 | =back |
907 | |
19799a22 |
908 | To find out I<all> modules installed on your system, including |
2e1d04bc |
909 | those without documentation or outside the standard release, |
b1866b2d |
910 | just do this: |
f102b883 |
911 | |
5a964f20 |
912 | % find `perl -e 'print "@INC"'` -name '*.pm' -print |
f102b883 |
913 | |
2e1d04bc |
914 | They should all have their own documentation installed and accessible |
915 | via your system man(1) command. If you do not have a B<find> |
19799a22 |
916 | program, you can use the Perl B<find2perl> program instead, which |
917 | generates Perl code as output you can run through perl. If you |
918 | have a B<man> program but it doesn't find your modules, you'll have |
2e1d04bc |
919 | to fix your manpath. See L<perl> for details. If you have no |
920 | system B<man> command, you might try the B<perldoc> program. |
f102b883 |
921 | |
922 | =head2 Extension Modules |
923 | |
19799a22 |
924 | Extension modules are written in C (or a mix of Perl and C). They |
925 | are usually dynamically loaded into Perl if and when you need them, |
d1be9408 |
926 | but may also be linked in statically. Supported extension modules |
19799a22 |
927 | include Socket, Fcntl, and POSIX. |
f102b883 |
928 | |
929 | Many popular C extension modules do not come bundled (at least, not |
19799a22 |
930 | completely) due to their sizes, volatility, or simply lack of time |
931 | for adequate testing and configuration across the multitude of |
932 | platforms on which Perl was beta-tested. You are encouraged to |
933 | look for them on CPAN (described below), or using web search engines |
934 | like Alta Vista or Deja News. |
f102b883 |
935 | |
936 | =head1 CPAN |
937 | |
19799a22 |
938 | CPAN stands for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network; it's a globally |
939 | replicated trove of Perl materials, including documentation, style |
2e1d04bc |
940 | guides, tricks and traps, alternate ports to non-Unix systems and |
19799a22 |
941 | occasional binary distributions for these. Search engines for |
1577cd80 |
942 | CPAN can be found at http://www.cpan.org/ |
19799a22 |
943 | |
944 | Most importantly, CPAN includes around a thousand unbundled modules, |
945 | some of which require a C compiler to build. Major categories of |
946 | modules are: |
f102b883 |
947 | |
4e860d0a |
948 | =over |
f102b883 |
949 | |
950 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
951 | |
f102b883 |
952 | Language Extensions and Documentation Tools |
953 | |
954 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
955 | |
f102b883 |
956 | Development Support |
957 | |
958 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
959 | |
f102b883 |
960 | Operating System Interfaces |
961 | |
962 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
963 | |
f102b883 |
964 | Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication |
965 | |
966 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
967 | |
f102b883 |
968 | Data Types and Data Type Utilities |
969 | |
970 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
971 | |
f102b883 |
972 | Database Interfaces |
973 | |
974 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
975 | |
f102b883 |
976 | User Interfaces |
977 | |
978 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
979 | |
f102b883 |
980 | Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages |
981 | |
982 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
983 | |
f102b883 |
984 | File Names, File Systems and File Locking (see also File Handles) |
985 | |
986 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
987 | |
f102b883 |
988 | String Processing, Language Text Processing, Parsing, and Searching |
989 | |
990 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
991 | |
f102b883 |
992 | Option, Argument, Parameter, and Configuration File Processing |
993 | |
994 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
995 | |
f102b883 |
996 | Internationalization and Locale |
997 | |
998 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
999 | |
f102b883 |
1000 | Authentication, Security, and Encryption |
1001 | |
1002 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1003 | |
f102b883 |
1004 | World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME |
1005 | |
1006 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1007 | |
f102b883 |
1008 | Server and Daemon Utilities |
1009 | |
1010 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1011 | |
f102b883 |
1012 | Archiving and Compression |
1013 | |
1014 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1015 | |
f102b883 |
1016 | Images, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing, and Graphing |
1017 | |
1018 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1019 | |
f102b883 |
1020 | Mail and Usenet News |
1021 | |
1022 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1023 | |
f102b883 |
1024 | Control Flow Utilities (callbacks and exceptions etc) |
1025 | |
1026 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1027 | |
f102b883 |
1028 | File Handle and Input/Output Stream Utilities |
1029 | |
1030 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
1031 | |
f102b883 |
1032 | Miscellaneous Modules |
1033 | |
1034 | =back |
1035 | |
19799a22 |
1036 | Registered CPAN sites as of this writing include the following. |
f102b883 |
1037 | You should try to choose one close to you: |
1038 | |
4e860d0a |
1039 | =head2 Africa |
1040 | |
cea6626f |
1041 | =over 4 |
f102b883 |
1042 | |
4e860d0a |
1043 | =item * |
1044 | |
1045 | South Africa |
1046 | |
1047 | ftp://ftp.is.co.za/programming/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1048 | ftp://ftp.mweb.co.za/pub/mirrors/cpan/ |
4e860d0a |
1049 | ftp://ftp.saix.net/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1050 | ftp://ftp.sun.ac.za/CPAN/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1051 | |
1052 | =back |
1053 | |
1054 | =head2 Asia |
1055 | |
1056 | =over 4 |
1057 | |
1058 | =item * |
1059 | |
1060 | China |
1061 | |
1062 | ftp://freesoft.cei.gov.cn/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1063 | http://www2.linuxforum.net/mirror/CPAN/ |
1064 | http://cpan.shellhung.org/ |
1065 | ftp://ftp.shellhung.org/pub/CPAN |
1066 | |
1067 | =item * |
1068 | |
37a78d01 |
1069 | India |
4e860d0a |
1070 | |
37a78d01 |
1071 | http://cpan.in.freeos.com |
1072 | ftp://cpan.in.freeos.com/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1073 | |
1074 | =item * |
1075 | |
1076 | Indonesia |
1077 | |
37a78d01 |
1078 | http://cpan.itb.web.id/ |
4e860d0a |
1079 | ftp://mirrors.piksi.itb.ac.id/CPAN/ |
1080 | http://CPAN.mweb.co.id/ |
1081 | ftp://ftp.mweb.co.id/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1082 | |
1083 | =item * |
1084 | |
1085 | Israel |
1086 | |
1087 | http://www.iglu.org.il:/pub/CPAN/ |
1088 | ftp://ftp.iglu.org.il/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1089 | http://cpan.lerner.co.il/ |
4e860d0a |
1090 | http://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/pub/software/perl/CPAN/ |
1091 | ftp://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/pub/software/perl/CPAN/ |
1092 | |
1093 | =item * |
1094 | |
1095 | Japan |
1096 | |
37a78d01 |
1097 | ftp://ftp.u-aizu.ac.jp/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1098 | ftp://ftp.kddlabs.co.jp/CPAN/ |
1099 | http://mirror.nucba.ac.jp/mirror/Perl/ |
1100 | ftp://mirror.nucba.ac.jp/mirror/Perl/ |
1101 | ftp://ftp.meisei-u.ac.jp/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1102 | ftp://ftp.ayamura.org/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1103 | ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
1104 | ftp://ftp.dti.ad.jp/pub/lang/CPAN/ |
1105 | ftp://ftp.ring.gr.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
1106 | |
1107 | =item * |
1108 | |
37a78d01 |
1109 | Korea |
1110 | |
1111 | http://mirror.Mazic.org/pub/CPAN |
1112 | ftp://mirror.Mazic.org/pub/CPAN |
1113 | |
1114 | =item * |
1115 | |
1116 | Philippines |
1117 | |
1118 | http://www.adzu.edu.ph/CPAN |
1119 | |
1120 | =item * |
1121 | |
1122 | Russian Federation |
1123 | |
1124 | http://cpan.tomsk.ru |
1125 | ftp://cpan.tomsk.ru/pub/CPAN |
1126 | |
1127 | =item * |
1128 | |
4e860d0a |
1129 | Saudi Arabia |
1130 | |
1131 | ftp://ftp.isu.net.sa/pub/CPAN/ |
1132 | |
1133 | =item * |
1134 | |
1135 | Singapore |
1136 | |
1137 | http://cpan.hjc.edu.sg |
4e860d0a |
1138 | |
1139 | =item * |
1140 | |
1141 | South Korea |
1142 | |
1143 | http://CPAN.bora.net/ |
1144 | ftp://ftp.bora.net/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1145 | http://ftp.kornet.net/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1146 | ftp://ftp.kornet.net/pub/CPAN/ |
1147 | ftp://ftp.nuri.net/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1148 | http://ftp.xgate.co.kr/cpan/ |
1149 | ftp://ftp.xgate.co.kr/pub/mirror/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1150 | |
1151 | =item * |
1152 | |
1153 | Taiwan |
1154 | |
4e860d0a |
1155 | ftp://ftp.ee.ncku.edu.tw/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1156 | ftp://ftp1.sinica.edu.tw/pub1/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1157 | http://ftp.tku.edu.tw/pub/CPAN/ |
1158 | ftp://ftp.tku.edu.tw/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1159 | |
1160 | =item * |
1161 | |
1162 | Thailand |
1163 | |
4e860d0a |
1164 | ftp://ftp.cs.riubon.ac.th/pub/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1165 | |
1166 | =back |
1167 | |
1168 | =head2 Central America |
1169 | |
1170 | =over 4 |
1171 | |
1172 | =item * |
1173 | |
1174 | Costa Rica |
1175 | |
1176 | ftp://ftp.linux.co.cr/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1177 | http://ftp.ucr.ac.cr/Unix/CPAN/ |
1178 | ftp://ftp.ucr.ac.cr/pub/Unix/CPAN/ |
1179 | |
1180 | =back |
1181 | |
1182 | =head2 Europe |
1183 | |
1184 | =over 4 |
1185 | |
1186 | =item * |
1187 | |
1188 | Austria |
1189 | |
37a78d01 |
1190 | ftp://ftp.tuwien.ac.at/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1191 | |
1192 | =item * |
1193 | |
1194 | Belgium |
1195 | |
37a78d01 |
1196 | http://ftp.easynet.be/pub/CPAN/ |
1197 | ftp://ftp.easynet.be/pub/CPAN/ |
1198 | http://cpan.skynet.be |
1199 | ftp://ftp.skynet.be/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1200 | ftp://ftp.kulnet.kuleuven.ac.be/pub/mirror/CPAN/ |
1201 | |
1202 | =item * |
1203 | |
1204 | Bulgaria |
1205 | |
556e28cf |
1206 | http://cpan.lirex.net/ |
1207 | ftp://ftp.lirex.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1208 | |
1209 | =item * |
1210 | |
1211 | Croatia |
1212 | |
1213 | ftp://ftp.linux.hr/pub/CPAN/ |
1214 | |
1215 | =item * |
1216 | |
1217 | Czech Republic |
1218 | |
37a78d01 |
1219 | http://ftp.fi.muni.cz/pub/CPAN/ |
1220 | ftp://ftp.fi.muni.cz/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1221 | ftp://sunsite.mff.cuni.cz/MIRRORS/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1222 | |
1223 | =item * |
1224 | |
1225 | Denmark |
1226 | |
37a78d01 |
1227 | http://mirrors.sunsite.dk/cpan/ |
1228 | ftp://sunsite.dk/mirrors/cpan/ |
4e860d0a |
1229 | http://www.cpan.dk/CPAN/ |
1230 | ftp://www.cpan.dk/ftp.cpan.org/CPAN/ |
1231 | |
1232 | =item * |
1233 | |
4e860d0a |
1234 | Estonia |
1235 | |
1236 | ftp://ftp.ut.ee/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1237 | |
1238 | =item * |
1239 | |
1240 | Finland |
1241 | |
1242 | ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1243 | http://cpan.kpnqwest.fi/ |
4e860d0a |
1244 | |
1245 | =item * |
1246 | |
1247 | France |
1248 | |
37a78d01 |
1249 | http://cpan.mirrors.easynet.fr/ |
1250 | ftp://cpan.mirrors.easynet.fr/pub/ftp.cpan.org/ |
4e860d0a |
1251 | ftp://ftp.club-internet.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1252 | http://fr.cpan.org/ |
4e860d0a |
1253 | ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1254 | ftp://ftp.oleane.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1255 | ftp://ftp.pasteur.fr/pub/computing/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1256 | http://cpan.cict.fr/ |
4e860d0a |
1257 | ftp://cpan.cict.fr/pub/CPAN/ |
1258 | ftp://ftp.uvsq.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1259 | |
1260 | =item * |
1261 | |
1262 | Germany |
1263 | |
1264 | ftp://ftp.rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/pub/CPAN/ |
1265 | ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/ |
1266 | ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/source/CPAN/ |
1267 | ftp://ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de/pub/Mirrors/CPAN |
1268 | ftp://ftp.gigabell.net/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1269 | http://pandemonium.tiscali.de/pub/CPAN/ |
1270 | ftp://pandemonium.tiscali.de/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1271 | http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1272 | ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1273 | ftp://ftp.uni-hamburg.de/pub/soft/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1274 | ftp://ftp.leo.org/pub/CPAN/ |
1275 | http://cpan.noris.de/ |
1276 | ftp://cpan.noris.de/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1277 | ftp://ftp.mpi-sb.mpg.de/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1278 | ftp://ftp.gmd.de/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1279 | |
1280 | =item * |
1281 | |
1282 | Greece |
1283 | |
556e28cf |
1284 | ftp://ftp.acn.gr/pub/lang/perl/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1285 | ftp://ftp.forthnet.gr/pub/languages/perl/CPAN |
1286 | ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/lang/perl/ |
1287 | |
1288 | =item * |
1289 | |
1290 | Hungary |
1291 | |
1292 | http://cpan.artifact.hu/ |
1293 | ftp://cpan.artifact.hu/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1294 | http://ftp.kfki.hu/packages/perl/CPAN/ |
1295 | ftp://ftp.kfki.hu/pub/packages/perl/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1296 | |
1297 | =item * |
1298 | |
1299 | Iceland |
1300 | |
37a78d01 |
1301 | http://ftp.rhnet.is/pub/CPAN/ |
1302 | ftp://ftp.rhnet.is/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1303 | |
1304 | =item * |
1305 | |
1306 | Ireland |
1307 | |
1308 | http://cpan.indigo.ie/ |
1309 | ftp://cpan.indigo.ie/pub/CPAN/ |
1310 | http://sunsite.compapp.dcu.ie/pub/perl/ |
1311 | ftp://sunsite.compapp.dcu.ie/pub/perl/ |
1312 | |
1313 | =item * |
1314 | |
1315 | Italy |
1316 | |
1317 | http://cpan.nettuno.it/ |
1318 | http://gusp.dyndns.org/CPAN/ |
1319 | ftp://gusp.dyndns.org/pub/CPAN |
1320 | http://softcity.iol.it/cpan |
1321 | ftp://softcity.iol.it/pub/cpan |
556e28cf |
1322 | ftp://ftp.unina.it/pub/Other/CPAN/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1323 | ftp://ftp.unipi.it/pub/mirror/perl/CPAN/ |
1324 | ftp://cis.uniRoma2.it/CPAN/ |
1325 | ftp://ftp.edisontel.it/pub/CPAN_Mirror/ |
1326 | ftp://ftp.flashnet.it/pub/CPAN/ |
1327 | |
1328 | =item * |
1329 | |
1330 | Latvia |
1331 | |
1332 | http://kvin.lv/pub/CPAN/ |
1333 | |
1334 | =item * |
1335 | |
37a78d01 |
1336 | Lithuania |
1337 | |
1338 | ftp://ftp.unix.lt/pub/CPAN/ |
1339 | |
1340 | =item * |
1341 | |
4e860d0a |
1342 | Netherlands |
1343 | |
1344 | ftp://download.xs4all.nl/pub/mirror/CPAN/ |
1345 | ftp://ftp.nl.uu.net/pub/CPAN/ |
1346 | ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1347 | ftp://ftp.cpan.nl/pub/CPAN/ |
1348 | http://www.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/ |
1349 | ftp://ftp.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/ |
1350 | |
1351 | =item * |
1352 | |
1353 | Norway |
1354 | |
37a78d01 |
1355 | ftp://ftp.uninett.no/pub/languages/perl/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1356 | ftp://ftp.uit.no/pub/languages/perl/cpan/ |
1357 | |
1358 | =item * |
1359 | |
1360 | Poland |
1361 | |
1362 | ftp://ftp.pk.edu.pl/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
1363 | ftp://ftp.mega.net.pl/pub/mirrors/ftp.perl.com/ |
1364 | ftp://ftp.man.torun.pl/pub/doc/CPAN/ |
1365 | ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/CPAN/ |
1366 | |
1367 | =item * |
1368 | |
1369 | Portugal |
1370 | |
1371 | ftp://ftp.ua.pt/pub/CPAN/ |
1372 | ftp://perl.di.uminho.pt/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1373 | http://cpan.dei.uc.pt/ |
1374 | ftp://ftp.dei.uc.pt/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1375 | ftp://ftp.ist.utl.pt/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1376 | http://cpan.ip.pt/ |
1377 | ftp://cpan.ip.pt/pub/cpan/ |
4e860d0a |
1378 | ftp://ftp.netc.pt/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1379 | ftp://ftp.up.pt/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1380 | |
1381 | =item * |
1382 | |
1383 | Romania |
1384 | |
4e860d0a |
1385 | ftp://ftp.kappa.ro/pub/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN/ |
1386 | ftp://ftp.dntis.ro/pub/cpan/ |
4e860d0a |
1387 | ftp://ftp.dnttm.ro/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1388 | ftp://ftp.lasting.ro/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1389 | ftp://ftp.timisoara.roedu.net/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1390 | |
1391 | =item * |
1392 | |
1393 | Russia |
1394 | |
1395 | ftp://ftp.chg.ru/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
1396 | http://cpan.rinet.ru/ |
1397 | ftp://cpan.rinet.ru/pub/mirror/CPAN/ |
1398 | ftp://ftp.aha.ru/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1399 | http://cpan.sai.msu.ru/ |
4e860d0a |
1400 | ftp://ftp.sai.msu.su/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
1401 | |
1402 | =item * |
1403 | |
1404 | Slovakia |
1405 | |
556e28cf |
1406 | http://ftp.cvt.stuba.sk/pub/CPAN/ |
1407 | ftp://ftp.cvt.stuba.sk/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1408 | |
1409 | =item * |
1410 | |
1411 | Slovenia |
1412 | |
1413 | ftp://ftp.arnes.si/software/perl/CPAN/ |
1414 | |
1415 | =item * |
1416 | |
1417 | Spain |
1418 | |
556e28cf |
1419 | http://cpan.imasd.elmundo.es/ |
4e860d0a |
1420 | ftp://ftp.rediris.es/mirror/CPAN/ |
1421 | ftp://ftp.etse.urv.es/pub/perl/ |
1422 | |
1423 | =item * |
1424 | |
1425 | Sweden |
1426 | |
1427 | http://ftp.du.se/CPAN/ |
1428 | ftp://ftp.du.se/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1429 | ftp://mirror.dataphone.se/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1430 | ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/ |
1431 | |
1432 | =item * |
1433 | |
1434 | Switzerland |
1435 | |
1436 | ftp://ftp.danyk.ch/CPAN/ |
1437 | ftp://sunsite.cnlab-switch.ch/mirror/CPAN/ |
1438 | |
1439 | =item * |
1440 | |
1441 | Turkey |
1442 | |
1443 | ftp://sunsite.bilkent.edu.tr/pub/languages/CPAN/ |
1444 | |
37a78d01 |
1445 | =item * |
1446 | |
1447 | Ukraine |
1448 | |
1449 | http://cpan.org.ua/ |
1450 | ftp://cpan.org.ua/ |
1451 | ftp://ftp.perl.org.ua/pub/CPAN/ |
1452 | |
556e28cf |
1453 | =item * |
1454 | |
1455 | United Kingdom |
1456 | |
1457 | http://www.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN |
1458 | ftp://ftp.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1459 | http://cpan.teleglobe.net/ |
1460 | ftp://cpan.teleglobe.net/pub/CPAN |
1461 | http://cpan.crazygreek.co.uk |
1462 | ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/CPAN/ |
1463 | ftp://ftp.flirble.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
1464 | ftp://ftp.plig.org/pub/CPAN/ |
1465 | http://mirror.uklinux.net/CPAN/ |
1466 | ftp://mirror.uklinux.net/pub/CPAN/ |
1467 | http://cpan.mirrors.clockerz.net/ |
1468 | ftp://ftp.clockerz.net/pub/CPAN/ |
1469 | ftp://usit.shef.ac.uk/pub/packages/CPAN/ |
1470 | |
4e860d0a |
1471 | =back |
1472 | |
1473 | =head2 North America |
1474 | |
1475 | =over 4 |
1476 | |
1477 | =item * |
1478 | |
1479 | Canada |
1480 | |
1481 | =over 8 |
1482 | |
1483 | =item * |
1484 | |
1485 | Alberta |
1486 | |
1487 | http://sunsite.ualberta.ca/pub/Mirror/CPAN/ |
1488 | ftp://sunsite.ualberta.ca/pub/Mirror/CPAN/ |
1489 | |
1490 | =item * |
1491 | |
1492 | Manitoba |
1493 | |
1494 | http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/ |
1495 | ftp://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/ |
1496 | |
1497 | =item * |
1498 | |
1499 | Nova Scotia |
1500 | |
1501 | ftp://cpan.chebucto.ns.ca/pub/CPAN/ |
1502 | |
1503 | =item * |
1504 | |
1505 | Ontario |
1506 | |
37a78d01 |
1507 | ftp://ftp.crc.ca/pub/CPAN/ |
1508 | |
1509 | =item * |
1510 | |
1511 | Quebec |
1512 | |
1513 | http://cpan.mirror.smartworker.org/ |
37a78d01 |
1514 | |
1515 | =back |
4e860d0a |
1516 | |
1517 | =item * |
1518 | |
1519 | Mexico |
1520 | |
37a78d01 |
1521 | http://cpan.azc.uam.mx |
1522 | ftp://cpan.azc.uam.mx/mirrors/CPAN |
1523 | http://cpan.unam.mx/ |
1524 | ftp://cpan.unam.mx/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1525 | http://www.msg.com.mx/CPAN/ |
1526 | ftp://ftp.msg.com.mx/pub/CPAN/ |
1527 | |
4e860d0a |
1528 | =item * |
1529 | |
1530 | United States |
1531 | |
1532 | =over 8 |
1533 | |
1534 | =item * |
1535 | |
1536 | Alabama |
1537 | |
1538 | http://mirror.hiwaay.net/CPAN/ |
1539 | ftp://mirror.hiwaay.net/CPAN/ |
1540 | |
1541 | =item * |
1542 | |
1543 | California |
1544 | |
1545 | http://www.cpan.org/ |
37a78d01 |
1546 | ftp://cpan.valueclick.com/pub/CPAN/ |
1547 | http://mirrors.gossamer-threads.com/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1548 | ftp://cpan.nas.nasa.gov/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1549 | http://mirrors.kernel.org/cpan/ |
1550 | ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/pub/CPAN |
1551 | http://cpan.digisle.net/ |
1552 | ftp://cpan.digisle.net/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1553 | http://www.perl.com/CPAN/ |
1554 | http://download.sourceforge.net/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1555 | |
1556 | =item * |
1557 | |
1558 | Colorado |
1559 | |
1560 | ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1561 | |
1562 | =item * |
1563 | |
556e28cf |
1564 | Delaware |
1565 | |
1566 | http://ftp.lug.udel.edu/pub/CPAN |
1567 | ftp://ftp.lug.udel.edu/pub/CPAN |
1568 | |
1569 | =item * |
1570 | |
37a78d01 |
1571 | District of Columbia |
4e860d0a |
1572 | |
556e28cf |
1573 | ftp://ftp.dc.aleron.net/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1574 | |
1575 | =item * |
1576 | |
37a78d01 |
1577 | Florida |
4e860d0a |
1578 | |
37a78d01 |
1579 | ftp://ftp.cise.ufl.edu/pub/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1580 | http://mirror.csit.fsu.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
1581 | ftp://mirror.csit.fsu.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1582 | |
1583 | =item * |
1584 | |
1585 | Illinois |
1586 | |
37a78d01 |
1587 | http://uiarchive.uiuc.edu/mirrors/ftp/cpan.cse.msu.edu/ |
1588 | ftp://uiarchive.uiuc.edu/mirrors/ftp/cpan.cse.msu.edu/ |
4e860d0a |
1589 | |
1590 | =item * |
1591 | |
1592 | Indiana |
1593 | |
556e28cf |
1594 | ftp://ftp.uwsg.iu.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1595 | http://cpan.netnitco.net/ |
1596 | ftp://cpan.netnitco.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1597 | http://archive.progeny.com/CPAN/ |
1598 | ftp://archive.progeny.com/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1599 | ftp://cpan.in-span.net/ |
1600 | http://csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/CPAN |
1601 | ftp://csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/CPAN |
1602 | |
1603 | =item * |
1604 | |
1605 | Kentucky |
1606 | |
1607 | http://cpan.uky.edu/ |
1608 | ftp://cpan.uky.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
1609 | |
1610 | =item * |
1611 | |
1612 | Massachusetts |
1613 | |
1614 | ftp://ftp.ccs.neu.edu/net/mirrors/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1615 | http://cpan.mirrors.netnumina.com/ |
1616 | ftp://mirrors.netnumina.com/cpan/ |
4e860d0a |
1617 | |
1618 | =item * |
1619 | |
37a78d01 |
1620 | Michigan |
1621 | |
1622 | ftp://cpan.cse.msu.edu/ |
1623 | |
1624 | =item * |
1625 | |
4e860d0a |
1626 | New Jersey |
1627 | |
1628 | ftp://ftp.cpanel.net/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1629 | http://cpan.teleglobe.net/ |
1630 | ftp://cpan.teleglobe.net/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1631 | |
1632 | =item * |
1633 | |
1634 | New York |
1635 | |
556e28cf |
1636 | ftp://ftp.exobit.org/pub/perl/CPAN |
1637 | http://cpan.belfry.net/ |
1638 | http://cpan.thepirtgroup.com/ |
1639 | ftp://cpan.thepirtgroup.com/ |
37a78d01 |
1640 | ftp://ftp.stealth.net/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1641 | http://www.rge.com/pub/languages/perl/ |
1642 | ftp://ftp.rge.com/pub/languages/perl/ |
1643 | ftp://mirrors.cloud9.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1644 | |
1645 | =item * |
1646 | |
1647 | North Carolina |
1648 | |
1649 | ftp://ftp.duke.edu/pub/perl/ |
1650 | |
1651 | =item * |
1652 | |
1653 | Ohio |
1654 | |
1655 | ftp://ftp.loaded.net/pub/CPAN/ |
1656 | |
1657 | =item * |
1658 | |
1659 | Oklahoma |
1660 | |
1661 | ftp://ftp.ou.edu/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1662 | |
1663 | =item * |
1664 | |
1665 | Oregon |
1666 | |
37a78d01 |
1667 | ftp://ftp.orst.edu/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1668 | |
1669 | =item * |
1670 | |
1671 | Pennsylvania |
1672 | |
1673 | http://ftp.epix.net/CPAN/ |
1674 | ftp://ftp.epix.net/pub/languages/perl/ |
37a78d01 |
1675 | http://mirrors.phenominet.com/pub/CPAN/ |
1676 | ftp://mirrors.phenominet.com/pub/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1677 | http://cpan.pair.com/ |
1678 | ftp://cpan.pair.com/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1679 | ftp://carroll.cac.psu.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
1680 | |
1681 | =item * |
1682 | |
1683 | Tennessee |
1684 | |
1685 | ftp://ftp.sunsite.utk.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
1686 | |
1687 | =item * |
1688 | |
1689 | Texas |
1690 | |
1691 | http://ftp.sedl.org/pub/mirrors/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1692 | ftp://mirror.telentente.com/pub/CPAN |
4e860d0a |
1693 | |
1694 | =item * |
1695 | |
1696 | Utah |
1697 | |
1698 | ftp://mirror.xmission.com/CPAN/ |
1699 | |
1700 | =item * |
1701 | |
1702 | Virginia |
1703 | |
1704 | http://mirrors.rcn.net/pub/lang/CPAN/ |
1705 | ftp://mirrors.rcn.net/pub/lang/CPAN/ |
556e28cf |
1706 | http://perl.secsup.org/ |
1707 | ftp://perl.secsup.org/pub/perl/ |
1708 | http://mirrors.phihost.com/CPAN/ |
1709 | ftp://mirrors.phihost.com/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1710 | ftp://ruff.cs.jmu.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
1711 | http://perl.Liquidation.com/CPAN/ |
1712 | |
1713 | =item * |
1714 | |
1715 | Washington |
1716 | |
1717 | http://cpan.llarian.net/ |
1718 | ftp://cpan.llarian.net/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1719 | http://cpan.mirrorcentral.com/ |
1720 | ftp://ftp.mirrorcentral.com/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1721 | ftp://ftp-mirror.internap.com/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1722 | |
556e28cf |
1723 | =item * |
1724 | |
1725 | Wisconsin |
1726 | |
1727 | http://mirror.sit.wisc.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
1728 | ftp://mirror.sit.wisc.edu/pub/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1729 | |
1730 | =back |
1731 | |
1732 | =head2 Oceania |
1733 | |
1734 | =over 4 |
1735 | |
1736 | =item * |
1737 | |
1738 | Australia |
1739 | |
1740 | http://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/CPAN/ |
1741 | ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/CPAN/ |
1742 | ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1743 | ftp://cpan.topend.com.au/pub/CPAN/ |
1744 | |
1745 | =item * |
1746 | |
1747 | New Zealand |
556e28cf |
1748 | |
4e860d0a |
1749 | ftp://ftp.auckland.ac.nz/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
1750 | |
1751 | =back |
1752 | |
1753 | =head2 South America |
1754 | |
1755 | =over 4 |
1756 | |
1757 | =item * |
1758 | |
1759 | Argentina |
1760 | |
1761 | ftp://mirrors.bannerlandia.com.ar/mirrors/CPAN/ |
1762 | |
1763 | =item * |
1764 | |
1765 | Brazil |
1766 | |
1767 | ftp://cpan.pop-mg.com.br/pub/CPAN/ |
37a78d01 |
1768 | ftp://ftp.matrix.com.br/pub/perl/CPAN/ |
4e860d0a |
1769 | |
1770 | =item * |
1771 | |
1772 | Chile |
1773 | |
1774 | ftp://ftp.psinet.cl/pub/programming/perl/CPAN/ |
f102b883 |
1775 | |
1776 | =back |
1777 | |
1778 | For an up-to-date listing of CPAN sites, |
4e860d0a |
1779 | see http://www.cpan.org/SITES or ftp://www.cpan.org/SITES . |
f102b883 |
1780 | |
1781 | =head1 Modules: Creation, Use, and Abuse |
1782 | |
1783 | (The following section is borrowed directly from Tim Bunce's modules |
1784 | file, available at your nearest CPAN site.) |
1785 | |
1786 | Perl implements a class using a package, but the presence of a |
1787 | package doesn't imply the presence of a class. A package is just a |
1788 | namespace. A class is a package that provides subroutines that can be |
1789 | used as methods. A method is just a subroutine that expects, as its |
1790 | first argument, either the name of a package (for "static" methods), |
1791 | or a reference to something (for "virtual" methods). |
1792 | |
1793 | A module is a file that (by convention) provides a class of the same |
1794 | name (sans the .pm), plus an import method in that class that can be |
1795 | called to fetch exported symbols. This module may implement some of |
1796 | its methods by loading dynamic C or C++ objects, but that should be |
1797 | totally transparent to the user of the module. Likewise, the module |
1798 | might set up an AUTOLOAD function to slurp in subroutine definitions on |
1799 | demand, but this is also transparent. Only the F<.pm> file is required to |
2e1d04bc |
1800 | exist. See L<perlsub>, L<perltoot>, and L<AutoLoader> for details about |
f102b883 |
1801 | the AUTOLOAD mechanism. |
1802 | |
1803 | =head2 Guidelines for Module Creation |
1804 | |
1805 | =over 4 |
1806 | |
4e860d0a |
1807 | =item * |
1808 | |
1809 | Do similar modules already exist in some form? |
f102b883 |
1810 | |
1811 | If so, please try to reuse the existing modules either in whole or |
1812 | by inheriting useful features into a new class. If this is not |
1813 | practical try to get together with the module authors to work on |
1814 | extending or enhancing the functionality of the existing modules. |
1815 | A perfect example is the plethora of packages in perl4 for dealing |
1816 | with command line options. |
1817 | |
1818 | If you are writing a module to expand an already existing set of |
1819 | modules, please coordinate with the author of the package. It |
1820 | helps if you follow the same naming scheme and module interaction |
1821 | scheme as the original author. |
1822 | |
4e860d0a |
1823 | =item * |
1824 | |
1825 | Try to design the new module to be easy to extend and reuse. |
f102b883 |
1826 | |
9f1b1f2d |
1827 | Try to C<use warnings;> (or C<use warnings qw(...);>). |
1828 | Remember that you can add C<no warnings qw(...);> to individual blocks |
2e1d04bc |
1829 | of code that need less warnings. |
19799a22 |
1830 | |
f102b883 |
1831 | Use blessed references. Use the two argument form of bless to bless |
1832 | into the class name given as the first parameter of the constructor, |
1833 | e.g.,: |
1834 | |
1835 | sub new { |
2e1d04bc |
1836 | my $class = shift; |
1837 | return bless {}, $class; |
f102b883 |
1838 | } |
1839 | |
1840 | or even this if you'd like it to be used as either a static |
1841 | or a virtual method. |
1842 | |
1843 | sub new { |
2e1d04bc |
1844 | my $self = shift; |
1845 | my $class = ref($self) || $self; |
1846 | return bless {}, $class; |
f102b883 |
1847 | } |
1848 | |
1849 | Pass arrays as references so more parameters can be added later |
1850 | (it's also faster). Convert functions into methods where |
1851 | appropriate. Split large methods into smaller more flexible ones. |
1852 | Inherit methods from other modules if appropriate. |
1853 | |
1854 | Avoid class name tests like: C<die "Invalid" unless ref $ref eq 'FOO'>. |
19799a22 |
1855 | Generally you can delete the C<eq 'FOO'> part with no harm at all. |
f102b883 |
1856 | Let the objects look after themselves! Generally, avoid hard-wired |
1857 | class names as far as possible. |
1858 | |
c47ff5f1 |
1859 | Avoid C<< $r->Class::func() >> where using C<@ISA=qw(... Class ...)> and |
1860 | C<< $r->func() >> would work (see L<perlbot> for more details). |
f102b883 |
1861 | |
1862 | Use autosplit so little used or newly added functions won't be a |
5a964f20 |
1863 | burden to programs that don't use them. Add test functions to |
f102b883 |
1864 | the module after __END__ either using AutoSplit or by saying: |
1865 | |
1866 | eval join('',<main::DATA>) || die $@ unless caller(); |
1867 | |
1868 | Does your module pass the 'empty subclass' test? If you say |
19799a22 |
1869 | C<@SUBCLASS::ISA = qw(YOURCLASS);> your applications should be able |
f102b883 |
1870 | to use SUBCLASS in exactly the same way as YOURCLASS. For example, |
1871 | does your application still work if you change: C<$obj = new YOURCLASS;> |
1872 | into: C<$obj = new SUBCLASS;> ? |
1873 | |
1874 | Avoid keeping any state information in your packages. It makes it |
1875 | difficult for multiple other packages to use yours. Keep state |
1876 | information in objects. |
1877 | |
2e1d04bc |
1878 | Always use B<-w>. |
19799a22 |
1879 | |
1880 | Try to C<use strict;> (or C<use strict qw(...);>). |
f102b883 |
1881 | Remember that you can add C<no strict qw(...);> to individual blocks |
2e1d04bc |
1882 | of code that need less strictness. |
19799a22 |
1883 | |
2e1d04bc |
1884 | Always use B<-w>. |
19799a22 |
1885 | |
f102b883 |
1886 | Follow the guidelines in the perlstyle(1) manual. |
1887 | |
19799a22 |
1888 | Always use B<-w>. |
1889 | |
4e860d0a |
1890 | =item * |
1891 | |
1892 | Some simple style guidelines |
f102b883 |
1893 | |
5a964f20 |
1894 | The perlstyle manual supplied with Perl has many helpful points. |
f102b883 |
1895 | |
1896 | Coding style is a matter of personal taste. Many people evolve their |
1897 | style over several years as they learn what helps them write and |
1898 | maintain good code. Here's one set of assorted suggestions that |
1899 | seem to be widely used by experienced developers: |
1900 | |
1901 | Use underscores to separate words. It is generally easier to read |
1902 | $var_names_like_this than $VarNamesLikeThis, especially for |
1903 | non-native speakers of English. It's also a simple rule that works |
1904 | consistently with VAR_NAMES_LIKE_THIS. |
1905 | |
1906 | Package/Module names are an exception to this rule. Perl informally |
1907 | reserves lowercase module names for 'pragma' modules like integer |
1908 | and strict. Other modules normally begin with a capital letter and |
1909 | use mixed case with no underscores (need to be short and portable). |
1910 | |
1911 | You may find it helpful to use letter case to indicate the scope |
1912 | or nature of a variable. For example: |
1913 | |
5a964f20 |
1914 | $ALL_CAPS_HERE constants only (beware clashes with Perl vars) |
f102b883 |
1915 | $Some_Caps_Here package-wide global/static |
1916 | $no_caps_here function scope my() or local() variables |
1917 | |
1918 | Function and method names seem to work best as all lowercase. |
c47ff5f1 |
1919 | e.g., C<< $obj->as_string() >>. |
f102b883 |
1920 | |
1921 | You can use a leading underscore to indicate that a variable or |
1922 | function should not be used outside the package that defined it. |
1923 | |
4e860d0a |
1924 | =item * |
1925 | |
1926 | Select what to export. |
f102b883 |
1927 | |
1928 | Do NOT export method names! |
1929 | |
1930 | Do NOT export anything else by default without a good reason! |
1931 | |
1932 | Exports pollute the namespace of the module user. If you must |
1933 | export try to use @EXPORT_OK in preference to @EXPORT and avoid |
1934 | short or common names to reduce the risk of name clashes. |
1935 | |
1936 | Generally anything not exported is still accessible from outside the |
c47ff5f1 |
1937 | module using the ModuleName::item_name (or C<< $blessed_ref->method >>) |
f102b883 |
1938 | syntax. By convention you can use a leading underscore on names to |
1939 | indicate informally that they are 'internal' and not for public use. |
1940 | |
1941 | (It is actually possible to get private functions by saying: |
1942 | C<my $subref = sub { ... }; &$subref;>. But there's no way to call that |
1943 | directly as a method, because a method must have a name in the symbol |
1944 | table.) |
1945 | |
1946 | As a general rule, if the module is trying to be object oriented |
1947 | then export nothing. If it's just a collection of functions then |
1948 | @EXPORT_OK anything but use @EXPORT with caution. |
1949 | |
4e860d0a |
1950 | =item * |
1951 | |
1952 | Select a name for the module. |
f102b883 |
1953 | |
1954 | This name should be as descriptive, accurate, and complete as |
1955 | possible. Avoid any risk of ambiguity. Always try to use two or |
1956 | more whole words. Generally the name should reflect what is special |
1957 | about what the module does rather than how it does it. Please use |
1958 | nested module names to group informally or categorize a module. |
1959 | There should be a very good reason for a module not to have a nested name. |
1960 | Module names should begin with a capital letter. |
1961 | |
1962 | Having 57 modules all called Sort will not make life easy for anyone |
1963 | (though having 23 called Sort::Quick is only marginally better :-). |
1964 | Imagine someone trying to install your module alongside many others. |
1965 | If in any doubt ask for suggestions in comp.lang.perl.misc. |
1966 | |
1967 | If you are developing a suite of related modules/classes it's good |
1968 | practice to use nested classes with a common prefix as this will |
1969 | avoid namespace clashes. For example: Xyz::Control, Xyz::View, |
1970 | Xyz::Model etc. Use the modules in this list as a naming guide. |
1971 | |
1972 | If adding a new module to a set, follow the original author's |
1973 | standards for naming modules and the interface to methods in |
1974 | those modules. |
1975 | |
165c0277 |
1976 | If developing modules for private internal or project specific use, |
1977 | that will never be released to the public, then you should ensure |
1978 | that their names will not clash with any future public module. You |
1979 | can do this either by using the reserved Local::* category or by |
1980 | using a category name that includes an underscore like Foo_Corp::*. |
1981 | |
f102b883 |
1982 | To be portable each component of a module name should be limited to |
1983 | 11 characters. If it might be used on MS-DOS then try to ensure each is |
1984 | unique in the first 8 characters. Nested modules make this easier. |
1985 | |
4e860d0a |
1986 | =item * |
1987 | |
1988 | Have you got it right? |
f102b883 |
1989 | |
1990 | How do you know that you've made the right decisions? Have you |
1991 | picked an interface design that will cause problems later? Have |
1992 | you picked the most appropriate name? Do you have any questions? |
1993 | |
1994 | The best way to know for sure, and pick up many helpful suggestions, |
1995 | is to ask someone who knows. Comp.lang.perl.misc is read by just about |
1996 | all the people who develop modules and it's the best place to ask. |
1997 | |
1998 | All you need to do is post a short summary of the module, its |
1999 | purpose and interfaces. A few lines on each of the main methods is |
2000 | probably enough. (If you post the whole module it might be ignored |
2001 | by busy people - generally the very people you want to read it!) |
2002 | |
2003 | Don't worry about posting if you can't say when the module will be |
2004 | ready - just say so in the message. It might be worth inviting |
2005 | others to help you, they may be able to complete it for you! |
2006 | |
4e860d0a |
2007 | =item * |
2008 | |
2009 | README and other Additional Files. |
f102b883 |
2010 | |
2011 | It's well known that software developers usually fully document the |
2012 | software they write. If, however, the world is in urgent need of |
2013 | your software and there is not enough time to write the full |
2014 | documentation please at least provide a README file containing: |
2015 | |
2016 | =over 10 |
2017 | |
2018 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2019 | |
f102b883 |
2020 | A description of the module/package/extension etc. |
2021 | |
2022 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2023 | |
f102b883 |
2024 | A copyright notice - see below. |
2025 | |
2026 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2027 | |
f102b883 |
2028 | Prerequisites - what else you may need to have. |
2029 | |
2030 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2031 | |
f102b883 |
2032 | How to build it - possible changes to Makefile.PL etc. |
2033 | |
2034 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2035 | |
f102b883 |
2036 | How to install it. |
2037 | |
2038 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2039 | |
f102b883 |
2040 | Recent changes in this release, especially incompatibilities |
2041 | |
2042 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2043 | |
f102b883 |
2044 | Changes / enhancements you plan to make in the future. |
2045 | |
2046 | =back |
2047 | |
2048 | If the README file seems to be getting too large you may wish to |
2049 | split out some of the sections into separate files: INSTALL, |
2050 | Copying, ToDo etc. |
2051 | |
2052 | =over 4 |
2053 | |
37a78d01 |
2054 | =item * |
f102b883 |
2055 | |
37a78d01 |
2056 | Adding a Copyright Notice. |
4e860d0a |
2057 | |
f102b883 |
2058 | How you choose to license your work is a personal decision. |
2059 | The general mechanism is to assert your Copyright and then make |
2060 | a declaration of how others may copy/use/modify your work. |
2061 | |
2062 | Perl, for example, is supplied with two types of licence: The GNU |
2063 | GPL and The Artistic Licence (see the files README, Copying, and |
2064 | Artistic). Larry has good reasons for NOT just using the GNU GPL. |
2065 | |
2066 | My personal recommendation, out of respect for Larry, Perl, and the |
5a964f20 |
2067 | Perl community at large is to state something simply like: |
f102b883 |
2068 | |
2069 | Copyright (c) 1995 Your Name. All rights reserved. |
2070 | This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or |
2071 | modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. |
2072 | |
2073 | This statement should at least appear in the README file. You may |
2074 | also wish to include it in a Copying file and your source files. |
2075 | Remember to include the other words in addition to the Copyright. |
2076 | |
4e860d0a |
2077 | =item * |
2078 | |
2079 | Give the module a version/issue/release number. |
f102b883 |
2080 | |
2081 | To be fully compatible with the Exporter and MakeMaker modules you |
2082 | should store your module's version number in a non-my package |
2083 | variable called $VERSION. This should be a floating point |
2084 | number with at least two digits after the decimal (i.e., hundredths, |
2085 | e.g, C<$VERSION = "0.01">). Don't use a "1.3.2" style version. |
19799a22 |
2086 | See L<Exporter> for details. |
f102b883 |
2087 | |
2088 | It may be handy to add a function or method to retrieve the number. |
2089 | Use the number in announcements and archive file names when |
2090 | releasing the module (ModuleName-1.02.tar.Z). |
2091 | See perldoc ExtUtils::MakeMaker.pm for details. |
2092 | |
4e860d0a |
2093 | =item * |
2094 | |
2095 | How to release and distribute a module. |
f102b883 |
2096 | |
2097 | It's good idea to post an announcement of the availability of your |
2098 | module (or the module itself if small) to the comp.lang.perl.announce |
2099 | Usenet newsgroup. This will at least ensure very wide once-off |
2100 | distribution. |
2101 | |
2e1d04bc |
2102 | If possible, register the module with CPAN. You should |
f102b883 |
2103 | include details of its location in your announcement. |
2104 | |
2105 | Some notes about ftp archives: Please use a long descriptive file |
5a964f20 |
2106 | name that includes the version number. Most incoming directories |
f102b883 |
2107 | will not be readable/listable, i.e., you won't be able to see your |
2108 | file after uploading it. Remember to send your email notification |
2109 | message as soon as possible after uploading else your file may get |
2110 | deleted automatically. Allow time for the file to be processed |
2111 | and/or check the file has been processed before announcing its |
2112 | location. |
2113 | |
2114 | FTP Archives for Perl Modules: |
2115 | |
6cecdcac |
2116 | Follow the instructions and links on: |
f102b883 |
2117 | |
4e860d0a |
2118 | http://www.cpan.org/modules/00modlist.long.html |
2119 | http://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html |
f102b883 |
2120 | |
2121 | or upload to one of these sites: |
2122 | |
6cecdcac |
2123 | https://pause.kbx.de/pause/ |
2124 | http://pause.perl.org/pause/ |
f102b883 |
2125 | |
6cecdcac |
2126 | and notify <modules@perl.org>. |
f102b883 |
2127 | |
2128 | By using the WWW interface you can ask the Upload Server to mirror |
2129 | your modules from your ftp or WWW site into your own directory on |
2130 | CPAN! |
2131 | |
2132 | Please remember to send me an updated entry for the Module list! |
2133 | |
4e860d0a |
2134 | =item * |
2135 | |
2136 | Take care when changing a released module. |
f102b883 |
2137 | |
7b8d334a |
2138 | Always strive to remain compatible with previous released versions. |
2139 | Otherwise try to add a mechanism to revert to the |
19799a22 |
2140 | old behavior if people rely on it. Document incompatible changes. |
f102b883 |
2141 | |
2142 | =back |
2143 | |
2144 | =back |
2145 | |
2146 | =head2 Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules |
2147 | |
2148 | =over 4 |
2149 | |
4e860d0a |
2150 | =item * |
2151 | |
2152 | There is no requirement to convert anything. |
f102b883 |
2153 | |
2154 | If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Perl 4 library scripts should |
2155 | continue to work with no problems. You may need to make some minor |
2156 | changes (like escaping non-array @'s in double quoted strings) but |
2157 | there is no need to convert a .pl file into a Module for just that. |
2158 | |
4e860d0a |
2159 | =item * |
2160 | |
2161 | Consider the implications. |
f102b883 |
2162 | |
5a964f20 |
2163 | All Perl applications that make use of the script will need to |
f102b883 |
2164 | be changed (slightly) if the script is converted into a module. Is |
2165 | it worth it unless you plan to make other changes at the same time? |
2166 | |
4e860d0a |
2167 | =item * |
2168 | |
2169 | Make the most of the opportunity. |
f102b883 |
2170 | |
2171 | If you are going to convert the script to a module you can use the |
19799a22 |
2172 | opportunity to redesign the interface. The guidelines for module |
2173 | creation above include many of the issues you should consider. |
f102b883 |
2174 | |
4e860d0a |
2175 | =item * |
2176 | |
2177 | The pl2pm utility will get you started. |
f102b883 |
2178 | |
2179 | This utility will read *.pl files (given as parameters) and write |
2180 | corresponding *.pm files. The pl2pm utilities does the following: |
2181 | |
2182 | =over 10 |
2183 | |
2184 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2185 | |
f102b883 |
2186 | Adds the standard Module prologue lines |
2187 | |
2188 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2189 | |
f102b883 |
2190 | Converts package specifiers from ' to :: |
2191 | |
2192 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2193 | |
f102b883 |
2194 | Converts die(...) to croak(...) |
2195 | |
2196 | =item * |
4e860d0a |
2197 | |
f102b883 |
2198 | Several other minor changes |
2199 | |
2200 | =back |
2201 | |
2202 | Being a mechanical process pl2pm is not bullet proof. The converted |
2203 | code will need careful checking, especially any package statements. |
2204 | Don't delete the original .pl file till the new .pm one works! |
2205 | |
2206 | =back |
2207 | |
2208 | =head2 Guidelines for Reusing Application Code |
2209 | |
2210 | =over 4 |
2211 | |
4e860d0a |
2212 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
2213 | |
2214 | Complete applications rarely belong in the Perl Module Library. |
f102b883 |
2215 | |
4e860d0a |
2216 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
2217 | |
2218 | Many applications contain some Perl code that could be reused. |
f102b883 |
2219 | |
2220 | Help save the world! Share your code in a form that makes it easy |
2221 | to reuse. |
2222 | |
4e860d0a |
2223 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
2224 | |
2225 | Break-out the reusable code into one or more separate module files. |
f102b883 |
2226 | |
4e860d0a |
2227 | =item * |
551e1d92 |
2228 | |
2229 | Take the opportunity to reconsider and redesign the interfaces. |
2230 | |
4e860d0a |
2231 | =item * |
f102b883 |
2232 | |
551e1d92 |
2233 | In some cases the 'application' can then be reduced to a small |
f102b883 |
2234 | |
2235 | fragment of code built on top of the reusable modules. In these cases |
2236 | the application could invoked as: |
2237 | |
5a964f20 |
2238 | % perl -e 'use Module::Name; method(@ARGV)' ... |
f102b883 |
2239 | or |
5a964f20 |
2240 | % perl -mModule::Name ... (in perl5.002 or higher) |
f102b883 |
2241 | |
2242 | =back |
2243 | |
2244 | =head1 NOTE |
2245 | |
2246 | Perl does not enforce private and public parts of its modules as you may |
2247 | have been used to in other languages like C++, Ada, or Modula-17. Perl |
2248 | doesn't have an infatuation with enforced privacy. It would prefer |
2249 | that you stayed out of its living room because you weren't invited, not |
2250 | because it has a shotgun. |
2251 | |
2252 | The module and its user have a contract, part of which is common law, |
2253 | and part of which is "written". Part of the common law contract is |
2254 | that a module doesn't pollute any namespace it wasn't asked to. The |
2255 | written contract for the module (A.K.A. documentation) may make other |
2256 | provisions. But then you know when you C<use RedefineTheWorld> that |
2257 | you're redefining the world and willing to take the consequences. |