5 use B qw(minus_c save_BEGINs);
9 my ($class, @options) = @_;
10 my ($quiet, $veryquiet) = (0, 0);
11 if ($options[0] eq '-q' || $options[0] eq '-qq') {
13 open (SAVEOUT, ">&STDOUT");
15 open (STDOUT, ">", \$O::BEGIN_output);
16 if ($options[0] eq '-qq') {
21 my $backend = shift (@options);
31 open (STDOUT, ">&SAVEOUT");
34 use B::].$backend.q[ ();
36 croak "use of backend $backend failed: $@";
40 my $compilesub = &{"B::${backend}::compile"}(@options);
41 if (ref($compilesub) ne "CODE") {
45 local ($\,$",$,) = (undef,' ','');
48 close STDERR if $veryquiet;
60 O - Generic interface to Perl Compiler backends
64 perl -MO=[-q,]Backend[,OPTIONS] foo.pl
68 This is the module that is used as a frontend to the Perl Compiler.
70 If you pass the C<-q> option to the module, then the STDOUT
71 filehandle will be redirected into the variable C<$O::BEGIN_output>
72 during compilation. This has the effect that any output printed
73 to STDOUT by BEGIN blocks or use'd modules will be stored in this
74 variable rather than printed. It's useful with those backends which
75 produce output themselves (C<Deparse>, C<Concise> etc), so that
76 their output is not confused with that generated by the code
79 The C<-qq> option behaves like C<-q>, except that it also closes
80 STDERR after deparsing has finished. This suppresses the "Syntax OK"
81 message normally produced by perl.
85 Most compiler backends use the following conventions: OPTIONS
86 consists of a comma-separated list of words (no white-space).
87 The C<-v> option usually puts the backend into verbose mode.
88 The C<-ofile> option generates output to B<file> instead of
89 stdout. The C<-D> option followed by various letters turns on
90 various internal debugging flags. See the documentation for the
91 desired backend (named C<B::Backend> for the example above) to
92 find out about that backend.
96 This section is only necessary for those who want to write a
97 compiler backend module that can be used via this module.
99 The command-line mentioned in the SYNOPSIS section corresponds to
102 use O ("Backend", OPTIONS);
104 The C<import> function which that calls loads in the appropriate
105 C<B::Backend> module and calls the C<compile> function in that
106 package, passing it OPTIONS. That function is expected to return
107 a sub reference which we'll call CALLBACK. Next, the "compile-only"
108 flag is switched on (equivalent to the command-line option C<-c>)
109 and a CHECK block is registered which calls CALLBACK. Thus the main
110 Perl program mentioned on the command-line is read in, parsed and
111 compiled into internal syntax tree form. Since the C<-c> flag is
112 set, the program does not start running (excepting BEGIN blocks of
113 course) but the CALLBACK function registered by the compiler
116 In summary, a compiler backend module should be called "B::Foo"
117 for some foo and live in the appropriate directory for that name.
118 It should define a function called C<compile>. When the user types
120 perl -MO=Foo,OPTIONS foo.pl
122 that function is called and is passed those OPTIONS (split on
123 commas). It should return a sub ref to the main compilation function.
124 After the user's program is loaded and parsed, that returned sub ref
125 is invoked which can then go ahead and do the compilation, usually by
126 making use of the C<B> module's functionality.
130 Malcolm Beattie, C<mbeattie@sable.ox.ac.uk>