1 package ExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ;
10 ExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions About MakeMaker
14 FAQs, tricks and tips for C<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>.
16 =head2 Philosophy and History
20 =item Why not just use <insert other build config tool here>?
22 Why did MakeMaker reinvent the build configuration wheel? Why not
23 just use autoconf or automake or ppm or Ant or ...
25 There are many reasons, but the major one is cross-platform
28 Perl is one of the most ported pieces of software ever. It works on
29 operating systems I've never even heard of (see perlport for details).
30 It needs a build tool that can work on all those platforms and with
31 any wacky C compilers they might have.
33 No such build tool existed at the time and I only know of one now
37 =item What's Module::Build and how does it relate to MakeMaker?
39 Module::Build is a project by Ken Williams to supplant MakeMaker.
40 Its primary advantages are:
44 =item * pure perl. no make, no shell commands
46 =item * easier to customize
48 =item * cleaner internals
54 Module::Build is the official heir apparent to MakeMaker and we
55 encourage people to work on M::B rather than spending time improving
64 =item How to I prevent "object version X.XX does not match bootstrap parameter Y.YY" errors?
66 XS code is very sensitive to the module version number and will
67 complain if the version number in your Perl module doesn't match. If
68 you change your module's version # without reruning Makefile.PL the old
69 version number will remain in the Makefile causing the XS code to be built
70 with the wrong number.
72 To avoid this, you can force the Makefile to be rebuilt whenever you
73 change the module containing the version number by adding this to your
74 WriteMakefile() arguments.
76 depend => { '$(FIRST_MAKEFILE)' => '$(VERSION_FROM)' }
79 =item How do I make two or more XS files coexist in the same directory?
81 Sometimes you need to have two and more XS files in the same package.
82 One way to go is to put them into separate directories, but sometimes
83 this is not the most suitable solution. The following technique allows
84 you to put two (and more) XS files in the same directory.
86 Let's assume that we have a package C<Cool::Foo>, which includes
87 C<Cool::Foo> and C<Cool::Bar> modules each having a separate XS
88 file. First we use the following I<Makefile.PL>:
90 use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
94 VERSION_FROM => 'Foo.pm',
95 OBJECT => q/$(O_FILES)/,
99 Notice the C<OBJECT> attribute. MakeMaker generates the following
100 variables in I<Makefile>:
102 # Handy lists of source code files:
110 Therefore we can use the C<O_FILES> variable to tell MakeMaker to use
111 these objects into the shared library.
113 That's pretty much it. Now write I<Foo.pm> and I<Foo.xs>, I<Bar.pm>
114 and I<Bar.xs>, where I<Foo.pm> bootstraps the shared library and
115 I<Bar.pm> simply loading I<Foo.pm>.
117 The only issue left is to how to bootstrap I<Bar.xs>. This is done
120 MODULE = Cool::Foo PACKAGE = Cool::Foo
123 # boot the second XS file
124 boot_Cool__Bar(aTHX_ cv);
126 If you have more than two files, this is the place where you should
127 boot extra XS files from.
129 The following four files sum up all the details discussed so far.
137 our @ISA = qw(DynaLoader);
138 our $VERSION = '0.01';
139 bootstrap Cool::Foo $VERSION;
147 use Cool::Foo; # bootstraps Bar.xs
157 MODULE = Cool::Foo PACKAGE = Cool::Foo
160 # boot the second XS file
161 boot_Cool__Bar(aTHX_ cv);
163 MODULE = Cool::Foo PACKAGE = Cool::Foo PREFIX = cool_foo_
166 cool_foo_perl_rules()
169 fprintf(stderr, "Cool::Foo says: Perl Rules\n");
177 MODULE = Cool::Bar PACKAGE = Cool::Bar PREFIX = cool_bar_
180 cool_bar_perl_rules()
183 fprintf(stderr, "Cool::Bar says: Perl Rules\n");
185 And of course a very basic test:
190 BEGIN { plan tests => 1 };
193 Cool::Foo::perl_rules();
194 Cool::Bar::perl_rules();
197 This tip has been brought to you by Nick Ing-Simmons and Stas Bekman.
203 If you have a question you'd like to see added to the FAQ (whether or
204 not you have the answer) please send it to makemaker@perl.org.
208 The denizens of makemaker@perl.org.
212 L<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>