1 If you read this file _as_is_, just ignore the funny characters you
2 see. It is written in the POD format (see pod/perlpod.pod) which is
3 specially designed to be readable as is.
7 perlwin32 - Perl under Win32
11 These are instructions for building Perl under WindowsNT (versions
12 3.51 or 4.0), using Visual C++ (versions 2.0 through 5.0). Currently,
13 this port may also build under Windows95, but you can expect problems
14 stemming from the unmentionable command shell that infests that
15 platform. Note this caveat is only about B<building> perl. Once
16 built, you should be able to B<use> it on either Win32 platform (modulo
17 the problems arising from the inferior command shell).
21 Before you start, you should glance through the README file
22 found in the top-level directory where the Perl distribution
23 was extracted. Make sure you read and understand the terms under
24 which this software is being distributed.
26 Also make sure you read the L<BUGS AND CAVEATS> section below for the
27 known limitations of this port.
29 The INSTALL file in the perl top-level has much information that is
30 only relevant to people building Perl on Unix-like systems. In
31 particular, you can safely ignore any information that talks about
34 You should probably also read the README.os2 file, which gives a
35 different set of rules to build a Perl that will work on Win32
36 platforms. That method will probably enable you to build a more
37 Unix-compatible perl, but you will also need to download and use
38 various other support software described in that file.
40 This set of instructions is meant to describe a so-called "native"
41 port of Perl to Win32 platforms. The resulting Perl requires no
42 additional software to run (other than what came with your operating
43 system). Currently, this port is only capable of using Microsoft's
44 Visual C++ compiler. The ultimate goal is to support the other major
45 compilers that can be used to build Win32 applications.
47 This port currently supports MakeMaker (the set of modules that
48 is used to build extensions to perl). Therefore, you should be
49 able to build and install most extensions found in the CPAN sites.
57 Use the default "cmd" shell that comes with NT. In particular, do
58 *not* use the 4DOS/NT shell. The Makefile has commands that are not
59 compatible with that shell. You are mostly on your own if you can
60 muster the temerity to attempt this with Windows95.
64 Run the VCVARS32.BAT file usually found somewhere like C:\MSDEV4.2\BIN.
65 This will set your build environment.
69 Depending on how you extracted the distribution, you have to make sure
70 all the files are writable by you. The easiest way to make sure of
75 from the perl toplevel directory. You don't I<have> to do this if you
76 used the right tools to extract the files in the standard distribution,
77 but it doesn't hurt to do so.
87 Make sure you are in the "win32" subdirectory under the perl toplevel.
88 This directory contains a "Makefile" that will work with
89 versions of NMAKE that come with Visual C++ ver. 2.0 and above.
93 Edit the Makefile and change the values of INST_DRV and INST_TOP
94 if you want perl to be installed in a location other than "C:\PERL".
98 If you are using Visual C++ ver. 4.0 and above: type "nmake".
99 If you are using a Visual C++ ver. 2.0: type "nmake CCTYPE=MSVC20".
101 This should build everything. Specifically, it will create perl.exe,
102 perl.dll, and perlglob.exe at the perl toplevel, and various other
103 extension dll's under the lib\auto directory. If the make fails for
104 any reason, make sure you have done the previous steps correctly.
110 Type "nmake test". This will run most of the tests from the
111 testsuite (many tests will be skipped, and but no test should fail).
113 If some tests do fail, it may be because you are using a different command
114 shell than the native "cmd.exe".
116 Please report any failures as described under L<BUGS AND CAVEATS>.
120 Type "nmake install". This will put the newly built perl and the
121 libraries under "C:\PERL" (actually whatever you set INST_TOP to
122 in the Makefile). To use the Perl you just installed, set your
123 PATH environment variable to "C:\PERL\BIN" (or $(INST_TOP)\BIN, if you
124 changed the default as above).
126 =head1 BUGS AND CAVEATS
128 This is still very much an experimental port, and should be considered
129 alpha quality software. You can expect changes in virtually all of
130 these areas: build process, installation structure, supported
131 utilities/modules, and supported perl functionality. Specifically,
132 functionality specific to the Win32 environment may ultimately
133 be supported as either core modules or extensions.
135 If you have had prior exposure to Perl on Unix platforms, you will notice
136 this port exhibits behavior different from what is documented. Most of the
137 differences fall under one of these categories.
143 C<stat()> and C<lstat()> functions may not behave as documented. They
144 may return values that bear no resemblance to those reported on Unix
145 platforms, and some fields may be completely bogus.
149 The following functions are currently unavailable: C<fork()>, C<exec()>,
150 C<dump()>, C<chown()>, C<link()>, C<symlink()>, C<chroot()>,
151 C<setpgrp()>, C<getpgrp()>, C<setpriority()>, C<getpriority()>,
152 C<syscall()>, C<fcntl()>, C<flock()>. This list is possibly very
157 Various C<socket()> related calls are supported, but they may not
158 behave as on Unix platforms.
162 The four-argument C<select()> call is only supported on sockets.
166 The behavior of C<system()> or the C<qx[]> operator (a.k.a. "backticks"),
167 when used to call interactive commands, is ill-defined.
171 C<$?> ends up with the exitstatus of the subprocess (this is different
172 from Unix, where the exitstatus is actually given by "$? >> 8").
173 Failure to spawn() the subprocess is indicated by setting $? to
174 "255<<8". This is subject to change.
178 Building modules available on CPAN is mostly supported, but this
179 hasn't been tested much yet. Expect strange problems, and be
180 prepared to deal with the consequences.
184 C<utime()>, C<times()> and process-related functions may not
185 behave as described in the documentation, and some of the
186 returned values or effects may be bogus.
190 Signal handling may not behave as on Unix platforms.
194 File globbing may not behave as on Unix platforms.
198 Not all of the utilities that come with the Perl distribution
203 Please send detailed descriptions of any problems and solutions that
204 you may find to <F<perlbug@perl.com>>, along with the output produced
211 =item Gary Ng <F<71564.1743@CompuServe.COM>>
213 =item Gurusamy Sarathy <F<gsar@umich.edu>>
215 =item Nick Ing-Simmons <F<nick@ni-s.u-net.com>>
225 This port was originally contributed by Gary Ng around 5.003_24,
226 and borrowed from the Hip Communications port that was available
229 Nick Ing-Simmons and Gurusamy Sarathy have made numerous and
230 sundry hacks since then.
232 Last updated: 13 April 1997