2 Generated by perlmodlib.PL -- DO NOT EDIT!
6 perlmodlib - constructing new Perl modules and finding existing ones
8 =head1 THE PERL MODULE LIBRARY
10 Many modules are included in the Perl distribution. These are described
11 below, and all end in F<.pm>. You may discover compiled library
12 files (usually ending in F<.so>) or small pieces of modules to be
13 autoloaded (ending in F<.al>); these were automatically generated
14 by the installation process. You may also discover files in the
15 library directory that end in either F<.pl> or F<.ph>. These are
16 old libraries supplied so that old programs that use them still
17 run. The F<.pl> files will all eventually be converted into standard
18 modules, and the F<.ph> files made by B<h2ph> will probably end up
19 as extension modules made by B<h2xs>. (Some F<.ph> values may
20 already be available through the POSIX, Errno, or Fcntl modules.)
21 The B<pl2pm> file in the distribution may help in your conversion,
22 but it's just a mechanical process and therefore far from bulletproof.
24 =head2 Pragmatic Modules
26 They work somewhat like compiler directives (pragmata) in that they
27 tend to affect the compilation of your program, and thus will usually
28 work well only when used within a C<use>, or C<no>. Most of these
29 are lexically scoped, so an inner BLOCK may countermand them
36 which lasts until the end of that BLOCK.
38 Some pragmas are lexically scoped--typically those that affect the
39 C<$^H> hints variable. Others affect the current package instead,
40 like C<use vars> and C<use subs>, which allow you to predeclare a
41 variables or subroutines within a particular I<file> rather than
42 just a block. Such declarations are effective for the entire file
43 for which they were declared. You cannot rescind them with C<no
46 The following pragmas are defined (and have their own documentation).
52 Select assertions in blocks of code
54 =item assertions::activate
60 Get/set subroutine or variable attributes
64 Set/get attributes of a subroutine (deprecated)
68 Postpone load of modules until a function is used
72 Establish IS-A relationship with base classes at compile time
76 Transparent BigInteger support for Perl
80 Transparent BigNumber support for Perl
84 Transparent BigNumber/BigRational support for Perl
88 Use MakeMaker's uninstalled version of a package
92 Force byte semantics rather than character semantics
96 Define character names for C<\N{named}> string literal escapes
104 Produce verbose warning diagnostics
108 Allows you to write your script in non-ascii or non-utf8
112 Compile-time class fields
116 Control the filetest permission operators
120 C<use> a Perl module if a condition holds
124 Use integer arithmetic instead of floating point
128 Request less of something from the compiler
132 Manipulate @INC at compile time
136 Use and avoid POSIX locales for built-in operations
140 Set default PerlIO layers for input and output
144 Restrict unsafe operations when compiling
148 Package for overloading perl operations
152 Alter regular expression behaviour
156 Enable simple signal handling
160 Control sort() behaviour
164 Restrict unsafe constructs
172 Perl extension allowing use of interpreter based threads from perl
174 =item threads::shared
176 Perl extension for sharing data structures between threads
180 Enable/disable UTF-8 (or UTF-EBCDIC) in source code
184 Predeclare global variable names (obsolete)
188 Perl extension for Version Objects
192 Control VMS-specific language features
196 Control optional warnings
198 =item warnings::register
200 Warnings import function
204 =head2 Standard Modules
206 Standard, bundled modules are all expected to behave in a well-defined
207 manner with respect to namespace pollution because they use the
208 Exporter module. See their own documentation for details.
210 It's possible that not all modules listed below are installed on your
211 system. For example, the GDBM_File module will not be installed if you
212 don't have the gdbm library.
218 Provide framework for multiple DBMs
220 =item Attribute::Handlers
222 Simpler definition of attribute handlers
226 Load subroutines only on demand
230 Split a package for autoloading
238 Autogenerated data about Perl ops, used to generate bytecode
242 Assemble Perl bytecode
250 Perl compiler's bytecode backend
254 Perl compiler's C backend
258 Perl compiler's optimized C translation backend
262 Walk Perl syntax tree, printing concise info about ops
266 Walk Perl syntax tree, printing debug info about ops
270 Perl compiler backend to produce perl code
272 =item B::Disassembler
274 Disassemble Perl bytecode
282 Show lexical variables used in functions or files
286 Helper module for CC backend
290 Show what stashes are loaded
294 Walk Perl syntax tree, printing terse info about ops
298 Generates cross reference reports for Perl programs
302 Benchmark running times of Perl code
306 Load byte compiled perl code
310 Simple Common Gateway Interface Class
314 Backward compatibility module for CGI.pm
318 CGI routines for writing to the HTTPD (or other) error log
322 Interface to Netscape Cookies
326 CGI Interface for Fast CGI
330 Module to produce nicely formatted HTML code
334 Simple Interface to Server Push
338 Backward compatibility module for defunct CGI::Switch
342 Internal utilities used by CGI module
346 Query, download and build perl modules from CPAN sites
348 =item CPAN::FirstTime
350 Utility for CPAN::Config file Initialization
354 Wrapper around CPAN.pm without using any XS module
358 Warn of errors (from perspective of caller)
362 Heavy machinery, no user serviceable parts inside
366 Report the search path for a class's ISA tree
370 Declare struct-like datatypes as Perl classes
374 Access Perl configuration information
378 Get pathname of current working directory
382 Programmatic interface to the Perl debugging API (draft, subject to
386 Filter DBM keys/values
390 Perl5 access to Berkeley DB version 1.x
394 Stringified perl data structures, suitable for both printing and C<eval>
402 Perl/Pollution/Portability
406 A data debugging tool for the XS programmer
408 =item Devel::SelfStubber
410 Generate stubs for a SelfLoading module
414 Modules that calculate message digests
418 Perl interface to the MD5 Algorithm
426 Supply object methods for directory handles
430 Provides screen dump of Perl data.
434 Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code
442 Alias definitions to encodings
446 Single Byte Encodings
448 =item Encode::CJKConstants
450 Internally used by Encode::??::ISO_2022_*
454 China-based Chinese Encodings
458 Internally used by Encode::CN
462 Internally used by Encode
468 =item Encode::Encoder
470 Object Oriented Encoder
472 =item Encode::Encoding
474 Encode Implementation Base Class
478 Guesses encoding from data
484 =item Encode::JP::H2Z
486 Internally used by Encode::JP::2022_JP*
488 =item Encode::JP::JIS7
490 Internally used by Encode::JP
496 =item Encode::KR::2022_KR
498 Internally used by Encode::KR
500 =item Encode::MIME::Header
502 MIME 'B' and 'Q' header encoding
506 A detailed document on Encode and PerlIO
508 =item Encode::Supported
510 Encodings supported by Encode
518 Taiwan-based Chinese Encodings
520 =item Encode::Unicode
522 Various Unicode Transformation Formats
524 =item Encode::Unicode::UTF7
530 Use nice English (or awk) names for ugly punctuation variables
534 Perl module that imports environment variables as scalars or arrays
538 System errno constants
542 Implements default import method for modules
544 =item Exporter::Heavy
548 =item ExtUtils::Command
550 Utilities to replace common UNIX commands in Makefiles etc.
552 =item ExtUtils::Command::MM
554 Commands for the MM's to use in Makefiles
556 =item ExtUtils::Constant
558 Generate XS code to import C header constants
560 =item ExtUtils::Embed
562 Utilities for embedding Perl in C/C++ applications
564 =item ExtUtils::Install
566 Install files from here to there
568 =item ExtUtils::Installed
570 Inventory management of installed modules
572 =item ExtUtils::Liblist
574 Determine libraries to use and how to use them
578 OS adjusted ExtUtils::MakeMaker subclass
580 =item ExtUtils::MM_Any
582 Platform-agnostic MM methods
584 =item ExtUtils::MM_BeOS
586 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
588 =item ExtUtils::MM_Cygwin
590 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
592 =item ExtUtils::MM_DOS
594 DOS specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix
596 =item ExtUtils::MM_MacOS
598 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
600 =item ExtUtils::MM_NW5
602 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
604 =item ExtUtils::MM_OS2
606 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
608 =item ExtUtils::MM_UWIN
610 U/WIN specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix
612 =item ExtUtils::MM_Unix
614 Methods used by ExtUtils::MakeMaker
616 =item ExtUtils::MM_VMS
618 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
620 =item ExtUtils::MM_Win32
622 Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
624 =item ExtUtils::MM_Win95
626 Method to customize MakeMaker for Win9X
630 ExtUtils::MakeMaker subclass for customization
632 =item ExtUtils::MakeMaker
634 Create a module Makefile
636 =item ExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ
638 Frequently Asked Questions About MakeMaker
640 =item ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Tutorial
642 Writing a module with MakeMaker
644 =item ExtUtils::MakeMaker::bytes
646 Version-agnostic bytes.pm
648 =item ExtUtils::MakeMaker::vmsish
650 Platform-agnostic vmsish.pm
652 =item ExtUtils::Manifest
654 Utilities to write and check a MANIFEST file
656 =item ExtUtils::Mkbootstrap
658 Make a bootstrap file for use by DynaLoader
660 =item ExtUtils::Mksymlists
662 Write linker options files for dynamic extension
664 =item ExtUtils::Packlist
666 Manage .packlist files
668 =item ExtUtils::testlib
670 Add blib/* directories to @INC
674 Replace functions with equivalents which succeed or die
678 Load the C Fcntl.h defines
682 Split a pathname into pieces
684 =item File::CheckTree
686 Run many filetest checks on a tree
690 Compare files or filehandles
694 Copy files or filehandles
698 DOS like globbing and then some
702 Traverse a directory tree.
706 Perl extension for BSD glob routine
710 Create or remove directory trees
714 Portably perform operations on file names
716 =item File::Spec::Cygwin
718 Methods for Cygwin file specs
720 =item File::Spec::Epoc
722 Methods for Epoc file specs
724 =item File::Spec::Functions
726 Portably perform operations on file names
728 =item File::Spec::Mac
730 File::Spec for Mac OS (Classic)
732 =item File::Spec::OS2
734 Methods for OS/2 file specs
736 =item File::Spec::Unix
738 File::Spec for Unix, base for other File::Spec modules
740 =item File::Spec::VMS
742 Methods for VMS file specs
744 =item File::Spec::Win32
746 Methods for Win32 file specs
750 Return name and handle of a temporary file safely
754 By-name interface to Perl's built-in stat() functions
758 Keep more files open than the system permits
762 Supply object methods for filehandles
766 Simplified source filtering
768 =item Filter::Util::Call
770 Perl Source Filter Utility Module
774 Locate directory of original perl script
778 Perl5 access to the gdbm library.
782 Extended processing of command line options
786 Process single-character switches with switch clustering
790 A selection of general-utility hash subroutines
794 Compare 8-bit scalar data according to the current locale
798 Functions for dealing with RFC3066-style language tags
800 =item I18N::LangTags::List
802 Tags and names for human languages
806 Query locale information
810 Load various IO modules
814 Supply object methods for directory handles
818 Supply object methods for filehandles
822 Supply object methods for I/O handles
826 Supply object methods for pipes
830 Object interface to system poll call
834 Supply seek based methods for I/O objects
838 OO interface to the select system call
842 Object interface to socket communications
844 =item IO::Socket::INET
846 Object interface for AF_INET domain sockets
848 =item IO::Socket::UNIX
850 Object interface for AF_UNIX domain sockets
854 Open a process for both reading and writing
858 Open a process for reading, writing, and error handling
866 SysV Msg IPC object class
868 =item IPC::SysV::Semaphore
870 SysV Semaphore IPC object class
874 A selection of general-utility list subroutines
876 =item Locale::Constants
878 Constants for Locale codes
880 =item Locale::Country
882 ISO codes for country identification (ISO 3166)
884 =item Locale::Currency
886 ISO three letter codes for currency identification (ISO 4217)
888 =item Locale::Language
890 ISO two letter codes for language identification (ISO 639)
892 =item Locale::Maketext
894 Framework for localization
896 =item Locale::Maketext::TPJ13
898 Article about software localization
902 ISO codes for script identification (ISO 15924)
906 Encoding and decoding of base64 strings
908 =item MIME::Base64::QuotedPrint
910 Encoding and decoding of quoted-printable strings
914 Arbitrary size floating point math package
918 Arbitrary size integer math package
920 =item Math::BigInt::Calc
922 Pure Perl module to support Math::BigInt
924 =item Math::BigInt::CalcEmu
926 Emulate low-level math with BigInt code
930 Arbitrarily big rational numbers
934 Complex numbers and associated mathematical functions
938 Trigonometric functions
942 Make functions faster by trading space for time
944 =item Memoize::AnyDBM_File
946 Glue to provide EXISTS for AnyDBM_File for Storable use
948 =item Memoize::Expire
950 Plug-in module for automatic expiration of memoized values
952 =item Memoize::ExpireFile
954 Test for Memoize expiration semantics
956 =item Memoize::ExpireTest
958 Test for Memoize expiration semantics
960 =item Memoize::NDBM_File
962 Glue to provide EXISTS for NDBM_File for Storable use
964 =item Memoize::SDBM_File
966 Glue to provide EXISTS for SDBM_File for Storable use
968 =item Memoize::Storable
970 Store Memoized data in Storable database
974 Tied access to ndbm files
978 Provide a pseudo-class NEXT (et al) that allows method redispatch
982 Network Command class (as used by FTP, SMTP etc)
986 Local configuration data for libnet
990 Attempt to evaluate the current host's internet name and domain
1002 OO interface to users netrc file
1006 Post Office Protocol 3 Client class (RFC1939)
1010 Check a remote host for reachability
1014 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Client
1018 Time and daytime network client interface
1022 By-name interface to Perl's built-in gethost*() functions
1024 =item Net::libnetFAQ
1026 Libnet Frequently Asked Questions
1030 By-name interface to Perl's built-in getnet*() functions
1034 By-name interface to Perl's built-in getproto*() functions
1038 By-name interface to Perl's built-in getserv*() functions
1042 Generic interface to Perl Compiler backends
1046 Tied access to odbm files
1050 Disable named opcodes when compiling perl code
1054 Perl interface to IEEE Std 1003.1
1058 On demand loader for PerlIO layers and root of PerlIO::* name space
1060 =item PerlIO::encoding
1064 =item PerlIO::scalar
1066 In-memory IO, scalar IO
1070 Helper class for PerlIO layers implemented in perl
1072 =item PerlIO::via::QuotedPrint
1074 PerlIO layer for quoted-printable strings
1078 Check pod documents for syntax errors
1082 Find POD documents in directory trees
1084 =item Pod::Functions
1086 Group Perl's functions a la perlfunc.pod
1090 Module to convert pod files to HTML
1092 =item Pod::InputObjects
1094 Objects representing POD input paragraphs, commands, etc.
1098 Convert Pod data to formatted Latex
1102 Convert POD data to formatted *roff input
1104 =item Pod::ParseLink
1106 Parse an LE<lt>E<gt> formatting code in POD text
1108 =item Pod::ParseUtils
1110 Helpers for POD parsing and conversion
1114 Base class for creating POD filters and translators
1116 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToChecker
1118 Let Perldoc check Pod for errors
1120 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToMan
1122 Let Perldoc render Pod as man pages
1124 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToNroff
1126 Let Perldoc convert Pod to nroff
1128 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToPod
1130 Let Perldoc render Pod as ... Pod!
1132 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToRtf
1134 Let Perldoc render Pod as RTF
1136 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToText
1138 Let Perldoc render Pod as plaintext
1140 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToTk
1142 Let Perldoc use Tk::Pod to render Pod
1144 =item Pod::Perldoc::ToXml
1146 Let Perldoc render Pod as XML
1148 =item Pod::PlainText
1150 Convert POD data to formatted ASCII text
1154 Perl extension for converting Pod to old style Pod.
1158 Extract selected sections of POD from input
1162 Convert POD data to formatted ASCII text
1164 =item Pod::Text::Color
1166 Convert POD data to formatted color ASCII text
1168 =item Pod::Text::Overstrike
1170 Convert POD data to formatted overstrike text
1172 =item Pod::Text::Termcap
1174 Convert POD data to ASCII text with format escapes
1178 Print a usage message from embedded pod documentation
1182 Tied access to sdbm files
1186 Compile and execute code in restricted compartments
1190 A selection of general-utility scalar subroutines
1194 Search for key in dictionary file
1198 Save and restore selected file handle
1202 Load functions only on demand
1206 Run shell commands transparently within perl
1210 Load the C socket.h defines and structure manipulators
1214 Persistence for Perl data structures
1218 A switch statement for Perl
1222 Manipulate Perl symbols and their names
1226 Try every conceivable way to get hostname
1230 Perl interface to the UNIX syslog(3) calls
1232 =item Term::ANSIColor
1234 Color screen output using ANSI escape sequences
1238 Perl termcap interface
1240 =item Term::Complete
1242 Perl word completion module
1244 =item Term::ReadLine
1246 Perl interface to various C<readline> packages.
1250 Provides a simple framework for writing test scripts
1254 Backend for building test libraries
1258 Run Perl standard test scripts with statistics
1260 =item Test::Harness::Assert
1264 =item Test::Harness::Iterator
1266 Internal Test::Harness Iterator
1268 =item Test::Harness::Straps
1270 Detailed analysis of test results
1274 Yet another framework for writing test scripts
1278 Basic utilities for writing tests.
1280 =item Test::Tutorial
1282 A tutorial about writing really basic tests
1286 Create an abbreviation table from a list
1288 =item Text::Balanced
1290 Extract delimited text sequences from strings.
1292 =item Text::ParseWords
1294 Parse text into an array of tokens or array of arrays
1298 Implementation of the Soundex Algorithm as Described by Knuth
1302 Expand and unexpand tabs per the unix expand(1) and unexpand(1)
1306 Line wrapping to form simple paragraphs
1310 Manipulate threads in Perl (for old code only)
1316 =item Thread::Semaphore
1318 Thread-safe semaphores
1320 =item Thread::Signal
1322 Start a thread which runs signal handlers reliably (for old code)
1324 =item Thread::Specific
1326 Thread-specific keys
1330 Base class for tied arrays
1334 Access the lines of a disk file via a Perl array
1338 Base class definitions for tied handles
1342 Base class definitions for tied hashes
1346 Add data to hash when needed
1350 Use references as hash keys
1354 Base class definitions for tied scalars
1356 =item Tie::SubstrHash
1358 Fixed-table-size, fixed-key-length hashing
1362 High resolution alarm, sleep, gettimeofday, interval timers
1366 Efficiently compute time from local and GMT time
1370 By-name interface to Perl's built-in gmtime() function
1372 =item Time::localtime
1374 By-name interface to Perl's built-in localtime() function
1378 Internal object used by Time::gmtime and Time::localtime
1382 Base class for ALL classes (blessed references)
1384 =item Unicode::Collate
1386 Unicode Collation Algorithm
1388 =item Unicode::Normalize
1390 Unicode Normalization Forms
1394 Unicode character database
1398 By-name interface to Perl's built-in getgr*() functions
1402 By-name interface to Perl's built-in getpw*() functions
1406 Interfaces to some Win32 API Functions
1414 Module to test the XS typemaps distributed with perl
1418 Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code
1422 To find out I<all> modules installed on your system, including
1423 those without documentation or outside the standard release,
1424 just use the following command (under the default win32 shell,
1425 double quotes should be used instead of single quotes).
1427 % perl -MFile::Find=find -MFile::Spec::Functions -Tlwe \
1428 'find { wanted => sub { print canonpath $_ if /\.pm\z/ },
1429 no_chdir => 1 }, @INC'
1431 (The -T is here to prevent '.' from being listed in @INC.)
1432 They should all have their own documentation installed and accessible
1433 via your system man(1) command. If you do not have a B<find>
1434 program, you can use the Perl B<find2perl> program instead, which
1435 generates Perl code as output you can run through perl. If you
1436 have a B<man> program but it doesn't find your modules, you'll have
1437 to fix your manpath. See L<perl> for details. If you have no
1438 system B<man> command, you might try the B<perldoc> program.
1440 Note also that the command C<perldoc perllocal> gives you a (possibly
1441 incomplete) list of the modules that have been further installed on
1442 your system. (The perllocal.pod file is updated by the standard MakeMaker
1445 =head2 Extension Modules
1447 Extension modules are written in C (or a mix of Perl and C). They
1448 are usually dynamically loaded into Perl if and when you need them,
1449 but may also be linked in statically. Supported extension modules
1450 include Socket, Fcntl, and POSIX.
1452 Many popular C extension modules do not come bundled (at least, not
1453 completely) due to their sizes, volatility, or simply lack of time
1454 for adequate testing and configuration across the multitude of
1455 platforms on which Perl was beta-tested. You are encouraged to
1456 look for them on CPAN (described below), or using web search engines
1457 like Alta Vista or Google.
1461 CPAN stands for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network; it's a globally
1462 replicated trove of Perl materials, including documentation, style
1463 guides, tricks and traps, alternate ports to non-Unix systems and
1464 occasional binary distributions for these. Search engines for
1465 CPAN can be found at http://www.cpan.org/
1467 Most importantly, CPAN includes around a thousand unbundled modules,
1468 some of which require a C compiler to build. Major categories of
1475 Language Extensions and Documentation Tools
1483 Operating System Interfaces
1487 Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication
1491 Data Types and Data Type Utilities
1503 Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages
1507 File Names, File Systems and File Locking (see also File Handles)
1511 String Processing, Language Text Processing, Parsing, and Searching
1515 Option, Argument, Parameter, and Configuration File Processing
1519 Internationalization and Locale
1523 Authentication, Security, and Encryption
1527 World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME
1531 Server and Daemon Utilities
1535 Archiving and Compression
1539 Images, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing, and Graphing
1543 Mail and Usenet News
1547 Control Flow Utilities (callbacks and exceptions etc)
1551 File Handle and Input/Output Stream Utilities
1555 Miscellaneous Modules
1559 The list of the registered CPAN sites as of this writing follows.
1560 Please note that the sorting order is alphabetical on fields:
1566 |-->[state/province]
1572 and thus the North American servers happen to be listed between the
1573 European and the South American sites.
1575 You should try to choose one close to you.
1583 http://ftp.rucus.ru.ac.za/pub/perl/CPAN/
1584 ftp://ftp.rucus.ru.ac.za/pub/perl/CPAN/
1585 ftp://ftp.is.co.za/programming/perl/CPAN/
1586 ftp://ftp.saix.net/pub/CPAN/
1587 ftp://ftp.sun.ac.za/CPAN/CPAN/
1597 http://cpan.linuxforum.net/
1598 http://cpan.shellhung.org/
1599 ftp://ftp.shellhung.org/pub/CPAN
1600 ftp://mirrors.hknet.com/CPAN
1604 http://mirrors.tf.itb.ac.id/cpan/
1605 http://cpan.cbn.net.id/
1606 ftp://ftp.cbn.net.id/mirror/CPAN
1610 ftp://ftp.iglu.org.il/pub/CPAN/
1611 http://cpan.lerner.co.il/
1612 http://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/pub/software/perl/CPAN/
1613 ftp://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/pub/software/perl/CPAN/
1617 ftp://ftp.u-aizu.ac.jp/pub/CPAN
1618 ftp://ftp.kddlabs.co.jp/CPAN/
1619 ftp://ftp.ayamura.org/pub/CPAN/
1620 ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
1622 ftp://ftp.cpan.jp/CPAN/
1623 ftp://ftp.dti.ad.jp/pub/lang/CPAN/
1624 ftp://ftp.ring.gr.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
1628 http://cpan.MyBSD.org.my
1629 http://mirror.leafbug.org/pub/CPAN
1630 http://ossig.mncc.com.my/mirror/pub/CPAN
1632 =item Russian Federation
1634 http://cpan.tomsk.ru
1635 ftp://cpan.tomsk.ru/
1639 ftp://ftp.isu.net.sa/pub/CPAN/
1643 http://CPAN.en.com.sg/
1644 ftp://cpan.en.com.sg/
1645 http://mirror.averse.net/pub/CPAN
1646 ftp://mirror.averse.net/pub/CPAN
1647 http://cpan.oss.eznetsols.org
1648 ftp://ftp.oss.eznetsols.org/cpan
1652 http://CPAN.bora.net/
1653 ftp://ftp.bora.net/pub/CPAN/
1654 http://mirror.kr.FreeBSD.org/CPAN
1655 ftp://ftp.kr.FreeBSD.org/pub/CPAN
1659 ftp://ftp.nctu.edu.tw/UNIX/perl/CPAN
1660 http://cpan.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/
1661 ftp://cpan.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN
1662 http://ftp.isu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN
1663 ftp://ftp.isu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN
1664 ftp://ftp1.sinica.edu.tw/pub1/perl/CPAN/
1665 http://ftp.tku.edu.tw/pub/CPAN/
1666 ftp://ftp.tku.edu.tw/pub/CPAN/
1670 ftp://ftp.loxinfo.co.th/pub/cpan/
1671 ftp://ftp.cs.riubon.ac.th/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
1675 =head2 Central America
1681 http://ftp.ucr.ac.cr/Unix/CPAN/
1682 ftp://ftp.ucr.ac.cr/pub/Unix/CPAN/
1692 http://cpan.inode.at/
1694 ftp://ftp.tuwien.ac.at/pub/CPAN/
1698 http://ftp.easynet.be/pub/CPAN/
1699 ftp://ftp.easynet.be/pub/CPAN/
1700 http://cpan.skynet.be
1701 ftp://ftp.cpan.skynet.be/pub/CPAN
1702 ftp://ftp.kulnet.kuleuven.ac.be/pub/mirror/CPAN/
1704 =item Bosnia and Herzegovina
1706 http://cpan.blic.net/
1710 http://cpan.online.bg
1711 ftp://cpan.online.bg/cpan
1712 http://cpan.zadnik.org
1713 ftp://ftp.zadnik.org/mirrors/CPAN/
1714 http://cpan.lirex.net/
1715 ftp://ftp.lirex.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN
1719 http://ftp.linux.hr/pub/CPAN/
1720 ftp://ftp.linux.hr/pub/CPAN/
1722 =item Czech Republic
1724 ftp://ftp.fi.muni.cz/pub/CPAN/
1725 ftp://sunsite.mff.cuni.cz/MIRRORS/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1729 http://mirrors.sunsite.dk/cpan/
1730 ftp://sunsite.dk/mirrors/cpan/
1731 http://cpan.cybercity.dk
1732 http://www.cpan.dk/CPAN/
1733 ftp://www.cpan.dk/ftp.cpan.org/CPAN/
1737 ftp://ftp.ut.ee/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1741 ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1742 http://mirror.eunet.fi/CPAN
1746 http://www.enstimac.fr/Perl/CPAN
1747 http://ftp.u-paris10.fr/perl/CPAN
1748 ftp://ftp.u-paris10.fr/perl/CPAN
1749 http://cpan.mirrors.easynet.fr/
1750 ftp://cpan.mirrors.easynet.fr/pub/ftp.cpan.org/
1751 ftp://ftp.club-internet.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
1753 ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
1754 ftp://ftp.oleane.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
1755 ftp://ftp.pasteur.fr/pub/computing/CPAN/
1756 http://mir2.ovh.net/ftp.cpan.org
1757 ftp://mir1.ovh.net/ftp.cpan.org
1758 http://ftp.crihan.fr/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
1759 ftp://ftp.crihan.fr/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
1760 http://ftp.u-strasbg.fr/CPAN
1761 ftp://ftp.u-strasbg.fr/CPAN
1762 ftp://cpan.cict.fr/pub/CPAN/
1763 ftp://ftp.uvsq.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
1767 ftp://ftp.rub.de/pub/CPAN/
1768 ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/
1769 ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/source/CPAN/
1770 ftp://ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de/pub/Mirrors/CPAN
1771 http://pandemonium.tiscali.de/pub/CPAN/
1772 ftp://pandemonium.tiscali.de/pub/CPAN/
1773 http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1774 ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1775 ftp://ftp.uni-hamburg.de/pub/soft/lang/perl/CPAN/
1776 ftp://ftp.leo.org/pub/CPAN/
1777 http://cpan.noris.de/
1778 ftp://cpan.noris.de/pub/CPAN/
1779 ftp://ftp.mpi-sb.mpg.de/pub/perl/CPAN/
1780 ftp://ftp.gmd.de/mirrors/CPAN/
1784 ftp://ftp.acn.gr/pub/lang/perl
1785 ftp://ftp.forthnet.gr/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
1786 ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/lang/perl/
1790 http://ftp.kfki.hu/packages/perl/CPAN/
1791 ftp://ftp.kfki.hu/pub/packages/perl/CPAN/
1795 http://ftp.rhnet.is/pub/CPAN/
1796 ftp://ftp.rhnet.is/pub/CPAN/
1800 http://cpan.indigo.ie/
1801 ftp://cpan.indigo.ie/pub/CPAN/
1802 http://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN
1803 ftp://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN
1804 http://sunsite.compapp.dcu.ie/pub/perl/
1805 ftp://sunsite.compapp.dcu.ie/pub/perl/
1809 http://cpan.nettuno.it/
1810 http://gusp.dyndns.org/CPAN/
1811 ftp://gusp.dyndns.org/pub/CPAN
1812 http://softcity.iol.it/cpan
1813 ftp://softcity.iol.it/pub/cpan
1814 ftp://ftp.unina.it/pub/Other/CPAN/CPAN/
1815 ftp://ftp.unipi.it/pub/mirror/perl/CPAN/
1816 ftp://cis.uniRoma2.it/CPAN/
1817 ftp://ftp.edisontel.it/pub/CPAN_Mirror/
1818 http://cpan.flashnet.it/
1819 ftp://ftp.flashnet.it/pub/CPAN/
1823 http://kvin.lv/pub/CPAN/
1827 ftp://ftp.unix.lt/pub/CPAN/
1831 ftp://download.xs4all.nl/pub/mirror/CPAN/
1832 ftp://ftp.nl.uu.net/pub/CPAN/
1833 ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1834 http://cpan.cybercomm.nl/
1835 ftp://mirror.cybercomm.nl/pub/CPAN
1836 ftp://mirror.vuurwerk.nl/pub/CPAN/
1837 ftp://ftp.cpan.nl/pub/CPAN/
1838 http://ftp.easynet.nl/mirror/CPAN
1839 ftp://ftp.easynet.nl/mirror/CPAN
1840 http://archive.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/
1841 ftp://ftp.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/
1845 ftp://ftp.uninett.no/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
1846 ftp://ftp.uit.no/pub/languages/perl/cpan/
1850 ftp://ftp.mega.net.pl/CPAN
1851 ftp://ftp.man.torun.pl/pub/doc/CPAN/
1852 ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/CPAN/
1856 ftp://ftp.ua.pt/pub/CPAN/
1857 ftp://perl.di.uminho.pt/pub/CPAN/
1858 http://cpan.dei.uc.pt/
1859 ftp://ftp.dei.uc.pt/pub/CPAN
1860 ftp://ftp.nfsi.pt/pub/CPAN
1861 http://ftp.linux.pt/pub/mirrors/CPAN
1862 ftp://ftp.linux.pt/pub/mirrors/CPAN
1864 ftp://cpan.ip.pt/pub/cpan/
1865 http://cpan.telepac.pt/
1866 ftp://ftp.telepac.pt/pub/cpan/
1870 ftp://ftp.bio-net.ro/pub/CPAN
1871 ftp://ftp.kappa.ro/pub/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN/
1872 ftp://ftp.lug.ro/CPAN
1873 ftp://ftp.roedu.net/pub/CPAN/
1874 ftp://ftp.dntis.ro/pub/cpan/
1875 ftp://ftp.iasi.roedu.net/pub/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
1876 http://cpan.ambra.ro/
1877 ftp://ftp.ambra.ro/pub/CPAN
1878 ftp://ftp.dnttm.ro/pub/CPAN/
1879 ftp://ftp.lasting.ro/pub/CPAN
1880 ftp://ftp.timisoara.roedu.net/mirrors/CPAN/
1884 ftp://ftp.chg.ru/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
1885 http://cpan.rinet.ru/
1886 ftp://cpan.rinet.ru/pub/mirror/CPAN/
1887 ftp://ftp.aha.ru/pub/CPAN/
1888 ftp://ftp.corbina.ru/pub/CPAN/
1889 http://cpan.sai.msu.ru/
1890 ftp://ftp.sai.msu.su/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
1894 ftp://ftp.cvt.stuba.sk/pub/CPAN/
1898 ftp://ftp.arnes.si/software/perl/CPAN/
1902 http://cpan.imasd.elmundo.es/
1903 ftp://ftp.rediris.es/mirror/CPAN/
1904 ftp://ftp.ri.telefonica-data.net/CPAN
1905 ftp://ftp.etse.urv.es/pub/perl/
1909 http://ftp.du.se/CPAN/
1910 ftp://ftp.du.se/pub/CPAN/
1911 http://mirror.dataphone.se/CPAN
1912 ftp://mirror.dataphone.se/pub/CPAN
1913 ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
1917 http://cpan.mirror.solnet.ch/
1918 ftp://ftp.solnet.ch/mirror/CPAN/
1919 ftp://ftp.danyk.ch/CPAN/
1920 ftp://sunsite.cnlab-switch.ch/mirror/CPAN/
1924 http://ftp.ulak.net.tr/perl/CPAN/
1925 ftp://ftp.ulak.net.tr/perl/CPAN
1926 ftp://sunsite.bilkent.edu.tr/pub/languages/CPAN/
1932 ftp://ftp.perl.org.ua/pub/CPAN/
1933 http://no-more.kiev.ua/CPAN/
1934 ftp://no-more.kiev.ua/pub/CPAN/
1936 =item United Kingdom
1938 http://www.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
1939 ftp://ftp.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1940 http://cpan.teleglobe.net/
1941 ftp://cpan.teleglobe.net/pub/CPAN
1942 http://cpan.mirror.anlx.net/
1943 ftp://ftp.mirror.anlx.net/CPAN/
1944 http://cpan.etla.org/
1945 ftp://cpan.etla.org/pub/CPAN
1946 ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/CPAN/
1947 http://cpan.m.flirble.org/
1948 ftp://ftp.flirble.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
1949 ftp://ftp.plig.org/pub/CPAN/
1950 http://cpan.hambule.co.uk/
1951 http://cpan.mirrors.clockerz.net/
1952 ftp://ftp.clockerz.net/pub/CPAN/
1953 ftp://usit.shef.ac.uk/pub/packages/CPAN/
1957 =head2 North America
1967 http://cpan.sunsite.ualberta.ca/
1968 ftp://cpan.sunsite.ualberta.ca/pub/CPAN/
1972 http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/
1973 ftp://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/
1977 ftp://cpan.chebucto.ns.ca/pub/CPAN/
1981 ftp://ftp.nrc.ca/pub/CPAN/
1987 http://cpan.azc.uam.mx
1988 ftp://cpan.azc.uam.mx/mirrors/CPAN
1989 http://www.cpan.unam.mx/
1990 ftp://ftp.unam.mx/pub/CPAN
1991 http://www.msg.com.mx/CPAN/
1992 ftp://ftp.msg.com.mx/pub/CPAN/
2000 http://mirror.hiwaay.net/CPAN/
2001 ftp://mirror.hiwaay.net/CPAN/
2005 http://cpan.develooper.com/
2006 http://www.cpan.org/
2007 ftp://cpan.valueclick.com/pub/CPAN/
2008 http://www.mednor.net/ftp/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
2009 ftp://ftp.mednor.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
2010 http://mirrors.gossamer-threads.com/CPAN
2011 ftp://cpan.nas.nasa.gov/pub/perl/CPAN/
2012 http://mirrors.kernel.org/cpan/
2013 ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/pub/CPAN
2014 http://cpan-sj.viaverio.com/
2015 ftp://cpan-sj.viaverio.com/pub/CPAN/
2016 http://cpan.digisle.net/
2017 ftp://cpan.digisle.net/pub/CPAN
2018 http://www.perl.com/CPAN/
2019 http://www.uberlan.net/CPAN
2023 ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/
2024 http://cpan.four10.com
2028 http://ftp.lug.udel.edu/pub/CPAN
2029 ftp://ftp.lug.udel.edu/pub/CPAN
2031 =item District of Columbia
2033 ftp://ftp.dc.aleron.net/pub/CPAN/
2037 ftp://ftp.cise.ufl.edu/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
2038 http://mirror.csit.fsu.edu/pub/CPAN/
2039 ftp://mirror.csit.fsu.edu/pub/CPAN/
2040 http://cpan.mirrors.nks.net/
2044 ftp://ftp.uwsg.iu.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/
2045 http://cpan.netnitco.net/
2046 ftp://cpan.netnitco.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
2047 http://archive.progeny.com/CPAN/
2048 ftp://archive.progeny.com/CPAN/
2049 http://fx.saintjoe.edu/pub/CPAN
2050 ftp://ftp.saintjoe.edu/pub/CPAN
2051 http://csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/CPAN
2052 ftp://csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/CPAN
2056 http://cpan.uky.edu/
2057 ftp://cpan.uky.edu/pub/CPAN/
2058 http://slugsite.louisville.edu/cpan
2059 ftp://slugsite.louisville.edu/CPAN
2063 http://mirrors.towardex.com/CPAN
2064 ftp://mirrors.towardex.com/pub/CPAN
2065 ftp://ftp.ccs.neu.edu/net/mirrors/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
2069 ftp://cpan.cse.msu.edu/
2070 http://cpan.calvin.edu/pub/CPAN
2071 ftp://cpan.calvin.edu/pub/CPAN
2075 http://www.oss.redundant.com/pub/CPAN
2076 ftp://www.oss.redundant.com/pub/CPAN
2080 http://ftp.cpanel.net/pub/CPAN/
2081 ftp://ftp.cpanel.net/pub/CPAN/
2082 http://cpan.teleglobe.net/
2083 ftp://cpan.teleglobe.net/pub/CPAN
2087 http://cpan.belfry.net/
2088 http://cpan.erlbaum.net/
2089 ftp://cpan.erlbaum.net/
2090 http://cpan.thepirtgroup.com/
2091 ftp://cpan.thepirtgroup.com/
2092 ftp://ftp.stealth.net/pub/CPAN/
2093 http://www.rge.com/pub/languages/perl/
2094 ftp://ftp.rge.com/pub/languages/perl/
2096 =item North Carolina
2098 http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
2099 ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
2100 ftp://ftp.duke.edu/pub/perl/
2101 ftp://ftp.ncsu.edu/pub/mirror/CPAN/
2105 ftp://ftp.ou.edu/mirrors/CPAN/
2109 ftp://ftp.orst.edu/pub/CPAN
2113 http://ftp.epix.net/CPAN/
2114 ftp://ftp.epix.net/pub/languages/perl/
2115 http://mirrors.phenominet.com/pub/CPAN/
2116 ftp://mirrors.phenominet.com/pub/CPAN/
2117 http://cpan.pair.com/
2118 ftp://cpan.pair.com/pub/CPAN/
2119 ftp://carroll.cac.psu.edu/pub/CPAN/
2123 ftp://ftp.sunsite.utk.edu/pub/CPAN/
2127 http://ftp.sedl.org/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
2128 http://www.binarycode.org/cpan
2129 ftp://mirror.telentente.com/pub/CPAN
2130 http://mirrors.theonlinerecordstore.com/CPAN
2134 ftp://mirror.xmission.com/CPAN/
2138 http://cpan-du.viaverio.com/
2139 ftp://cpan-du.viaverio.com/pub/CPAN/
2140 http://mirrors.rcn.net/pub/lang/CPAN/
2141 ftp://mirrors.rcn.net/pub/lang/CPAN/
2142 http://perl.secsup.org/
2143 ftp://perl.secsup.org/pub/perl/
2144 http://noc.cvaix.com/mirrors/CPAN/
2148 http://cpan.llarian.net/
2149 ftp://cpan.llarian.net/pub/CPAN/
2150 http://cpan.mirrorcentral.com/
2151 ftp://ftp.mirrorcentral.com/pub/CPAN/
2152 ftp://ftp-mirror.internap.com/pub/CPAN/
2156 http://mirror.sit.wisc.edu/pub/CPAN/
2157 ftp://mirror.sit.wisc.edu/pub/CPAN/
2158 http://mirror.aphix.com/CPAN
2159 ftp://mirror.aphix.com/pub/CPAN
2171 http://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/CPAN/
2172 ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/CPAN/
2173 ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/perl/CPAN/
2174 ftp://cpan.topend.com.au/pub/CPAN/
2175 http://cpan.mirrors.ilisys.com.au
2179 ftp://ftp.auckland.ac.nz/pub/perl/CPAN/
2183 http://aniani.ifa.hawaii.edu/CPAN/
2184 ftp://aniani.ifa.hawaii.edu/CPAN/
2188 =head2 South America
2194 ftp://mirrors.bannerlandia.com.ar/mirrors/CPAN/
2195 http://www.linux.org.ar/mirrors/cpan
2196 ftp://ftp.linux.org.ar/mirrors/cpan
2200 ftp://cpan.pop-mg.com.br/pub/CPAN/
2201 ftp://ftp.matrix.com.br/pub/perl/CPAN/
2202 http://cpan.hostsul.com.br/
2203 ftp://cpan.hostsul.com.br/
2207 http://cpan.netglobalis.net/
2208 ftp://cpan.netglobalis.net/pub/CPAN/
2212 =head2 RSYNC Mirrors
2214 www.linux.org.ar::cpan
2215 theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca::CPAN
2216 ftp.shellhung.org::CPAN
2217 rsync.nic.funet.fi::CPAN
2218 ftp.u-paris10.fr::CPAN
2220 rsync://ftp.crihan.fr::CPAN
2221 ftp.gwdg.de::FTP/languages/perl/CPAN/
2223 ftp.cbn.net.id::CPAN
2224 rsync://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN
2225 ftp.iglu.org.il::CPAN
2226 gusp.dyndns.org::cpan
2227 ftp.kddlabs.co.jp::cpan
2228 ftp.ayamura.org::pub/CPAN/
2229 mirror.leafbug.org::CPAN
2230 rsync.en.com.sg::CPAN
2231 mirror.averse.net::cpan
2232 rsync.oss.eznetsols.org
2233 ftp.kr.FreeBSD.org::CPAN
2235 cpan.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw::CPAN
2236 cpan.teleglobe.net::CPAN
2237 rsync://rsync.mirror.anlx.net::CPAN
2240 cpan-du.viaverio.com::CPAN
2241 aniani.ifa.hawaii.edu::CPAN
2242 archive.progeny.com::CPAN
2243 rsync://slugsite.louisville.edu::CPAN
2244 mirror.aphix.com::CPAN
2245 cpan.teleglobe.net::CPAN
2246 ftp.lug.udel.edu::cpan
2247 mirrors.kernel.org::mirrors/CPAN
2248 mirrors.phenominet.com::CPAN
2250 cpan-sj.viaverio.com::CPAN
2251 mirror.csit.fsu.edu::CPAN
2252 csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu::CPAN
2254 For an up-to-date listing of CPAN sites,
2255 see http://www.cpan.org/SITES or ftp://www.cpan.org/SITES .
2257 =head1 Modules: Creation, Use, and Abuse
2259 (The following section is borrowed directly from Tim Bunce's modules
2260 file, available at your nearest CPAN site.)
2262 Perl implements a class using a package, but the presence of a
2263 package doesn't imply the presence of a class. A package is just a
2264 namespace. A class is a package that provides subroutines that can be
2265 used as methods. A method is just a subroutine that expects, as its
2266 first argument, either the name of a package (for "static" methods),
2267 or a reference to something (for "virtual" methods).
2269 A module is a file that (by convention) provides a class of the same
2270 name (sans the .pm), plus an import method in that class that can be
2271 called to fetch exported symbols. This module may implement some of
2272 its methods by loading dynamic C or C++ objects, but that should be
2273 totally transparent to the user of the module. Likewise, the module
2274 might set up an AUTOLOAD function to slurp in subroutine definitions on
2275 demand, but this is also transparent. Only the F<.pm> file is required to
2276 exist. See L<perlsub>, L<perltoot>, and L<AutoLoader> for details about
2277 the AUTOLOAD mechanism.
2279 =head2 Guidelines for Module Creation
2285 Do similar modules already exist in some form?
2287 If so, please try to reuse the existing modules either in whole or
2288 by inheriting useful features into a new class. If this is not
2289 practical try to get together with the module authors to work on
2290 extending or enhancing the functionality of the existing modules.
2291 A perfect example is the plethora of packages in perl4 for dealing
2292 with command line options.
2294 If you are writing a module to expand an already existing set of
2295 modules, please coordinate with the author of the package. It
2296 helps if you follow the same naming scheme and module interaction
2297 scheme as the original author.
2301 Try to design the new module to be easy to extend and reuse.
2303 Try to C<use warnings;> (or C<use warnings qw(...);>).
2304 Remember that you can add C<no warnings qw(...);> to individual blocks
2305 of code that need less warnings.
2307 Use blessed references. Use the two argument form of bless to bless
2308 into the class name given as the first parameter of the constructor,
2313 return bless {}, $class;
2316 or even this if you'd like it to be used as either a static
2317 or a virtual method.
2321 my $class = ref($self) || $self;
2322 return bless {}, $class;
2325 Pass arrays as references so more parameters can be added later
2326 (it's also faster). Convert functions into methods where
2327 appropriate. Split large methods into smaller more flexible ones.
2328 Inherit methods from other modules if appropriate.
2330 Avoid class name tests like: C<die "Invalid" unless ref $ref eq 'FOO'>.
2331 Generally you can delete the C<eq 'FOO'> part with no harm at all.
2332 Let the objects look after themselves! Generally, avoid hard-wired
2333 class names as far as possible.
2335 Avoid C<< $r->Class::func() >> where using C<@ISA=qw(... Class ...)> and
2336 C<< $r->func() >> would work (see L<perlbot> for more details).
2338 Use autosplit so little used or newly added functions won't be a
2339 burden to programs that don't use them. Add test functions to
2340 the module after __END__ either using AutoSplit or by saying:
2342 eval join('',<main::DATA>) || die $@ unless caller();
2344 Does your module pass the 'empty subclass' test? If you say
2345 C<@SUBCLASS::ISA = qw(YOURCLASS);> your applications should be able
2346 to use SUBCLASS in exactly the same way as YOURCLASS. For example,
2347 does your application still work if you change: C<$obj = new YOURCLASS;>
2348 into: C<$obj = new SUBCLASS;> ?
2350 Avoid keeping any state information in your packages. It makes it
2351 difficult for multiple other packages to use yours. Keep state
2352 information in objects.
2356 Try to C<use strict;> (or C<use strict qw(...);>).
2357 Remember that you can add C<no strict qw(...);> to individual blocks
2358 of code that need less strictness.
2362 Follow the guidelines in the perlstyle(1) manual.
2368 Some simple style guidelines
2370 The perlstyle manual supplied with Perl has many helpful points.
2372 Coding style is a matter of personal taste. Many people evolve their
2373 style over several years as they learn what helps them write and
2374 maintain good code. Here's one set of assorted suggestions that
2375 seem to be widely used by experienced developers:
2377 Use underscores to separate words. It is generally easier to read
2378 $var_names_like_this than $VarNamesLikeThis, especially for
2379 non-native speakers of English. It's also a simple rule that works
2380 consistently with VAR_NAMES_LIKE_THIS.
2382 Package/Module names are an exception to this rule. Perl informally
2383 reserves lowercase module names for 'pragma' modules like integer
2384 and strict. Other modules normally begin with a capital letter and
2385 use mixed case with no underscores (need to be short and portable).
2387 You may find it helpful to use letter case to indicate the scope
2388 or nature of a variable. For example:
2390 $ALL_CAPS_HERE constants only (beware clashes with Perl vars)
2391 $Some_Caps_Here package-wide global/static
2392 $no_caps_here function scope my() or local() variables
2394 Function and method names seem to work best as all lowercase.
2395 e.g., C<< $obj->as_string() >>.
2397 You can use a leading underscore to indicate that a variable or
2398 function should not be used outside the package that defined it.
2402 Select what to export.
2404 Do NOT export method names!
2406 Do NOT export anything else by default without a good reason!
2408 Exports pollute the namespace of the module user. If you must
2409 export try to use @EXPORT_OK in preference to @EXPORT and avoid
2410 short or common names to reduce the risk of name clashes.
2412 Generally anything not exported is still accessible from outside the
2413 module using the ModuleName::item_name (or C<< $blessed_ref->method >>)
2414 syntax. By convention you can use a leading underscore on names to
2415 indicate informally that they are 'internal' and not for public use.
2417 (It is actually possible to get private functions by saying:
2418 C<my $subref = sub { ... }; &$subref;>. But there's no way to call that
2419 directly as a method, because a method must have a name in the symbol
2422 As a general rule, if the module is trying to be object oriented
2423 then export nothing. If it's just a collection of functions then
2424 @EXPORT_OK anything but use @EXPORT with caution.
2428 Select a name for the module.
2430 This name should be as descriptive, accurate, and complete as
2431 possible. Avoid any risk of ambiguity. Always try to use two or
2432 more whole words. Generally the name should reflect what is special
2433 about what the module does rather than how it does it. Please use
2434 nested module names to group informally or categorize a module.
2435 There should be a very good reason for a module not to have a nested name.
2436 Module names should begin with a capital letter.
2438 Having 57 modules all called Sort will not make life easy for anyone
2439 (though having 23 called Sort::Quick is only marginally better :-).
2440 Imagine someone trying to install your module alongside many others.
2441 If in any doubt ask for suggestions in comp.lang.perl.misc.
2443 If you are developing a suite of related modules/classes it's good
2444 practice to use nested classes with a common prefix as this will
2445 avoid namespace clashes. For example: Xyz::Control, Xyz::View,
2446 Xyz::Model etc. Use the modules in this list as a naming guide.
2448 If adding a new module to a set, follow the original author's
2449 standards for naming modules and the interface to methods in
2452 If developing modules for private internal or project specific use,
2453 that will never be released to the public, then you should ensure
2454 that their names will not clash with any future public module. You
2455 can do this either by using the reserved Local::* category or by
2456 using a category name that includes an underscore like Foo_Corp::*.
2458 To be portable each component of a module name should be limited to
2459 11 characters. If it might be used on MS-DOS then try to ensure each is
2460 unique in the first 8 characters. Nested modules make this easier.
2464 Have you got it right?
2466 How do you know that you've made the right decisions? Have you
2467 picked an interface design that will cause problems later? Have
2468 you picked the most appropriate name? Do you have any questions?
2470 The best way to know for sure, and pick up many helpful suggestions,
2471 is to ask someone who knows. Comp.lang.perl.misc is read by just about
2472 all the people who develop modules and it's the best place to ask.
2474 All you need to do is post a short summary of the module, its
2475 purpose and interfaces. A few lines on each of the main methods is
2476 probably enough. (If you post the whole module it might be ignored
2477 by busy people - generally the very people you want to read it!)
2479 Don't worry about posting if you can't say when the module will be
2480 ready - just say so in the message. It might be worth inviting
2481 others to help you, they may be able to complete it for you!
2485 README and other Additional Files.
2487 It's well known that software developers usually fully document the
2488 software they write. If, however, the world is in urgent need of
2489 your software and there is not enough time to write the full
2490 documentation please at least provide a README file containing:
2496 A description of the module/package/extension etc.
2500 A copyright notice - see below.
2504 Prerequisites - what else you may need to have.
2508 How to build it - possible changes to Makefile.PL etc.
2516 Recent changes in this release, especially incompatibilities
2520 Changes / enhancements you plan to make in the future.
2524 If the README file seems to be getting too large you may wish to
2525 split out some of the sections into separate files: INSTALL,
2532 Adding a Copyright Notice.
2534 How you choose to license your work is a personal decision.
2535 The general mechanism is to assert your Copyright and then make
2536 a declaration of how others may copy/use/modify your work.
2538 Perl, for example, is supplied with two types of licence: The GNU GPL
2539 and The Artistic Licence (see the files README, Copying, and Artistic,
2540 or L<perlgpl> and L<perlartistic>). Larry has good reasons for NOT
2541 just using the GNU GPL.
2543 My personal recommendation, out of respect for Larry, Perl, and the
2544 Perl community at large is to state something simply like:
2546 Copyright (c) 1995 Your Name. All rights reserved.
2547 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
2548 modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
2550 This statement should at least appear in the README file. You may
2551 also wish to include it in a Copying file and your source files.
2552 Remember to include the other words in addition to the Copyright.
2556 Give the module a version/issue/release number.
2558 To be fully compatible with the Exporter and MakeMaker modules you
2559 should store your module's version number in a non-my package
2560 variable called $VERSION. This should be a floating point
2561 number with at least two digits after the decimal (i.e., hundredths,
2562 e.g, C<$VERSION = "0.01">). Don't use a "1.3.2" style version.
2563 See L<Exporter> for details.
2565 It may be handy to add a function or method to retrieve the number.
2566 Use the number in announcements and archive file names when
2567 releasing the module (ModuleName-1.02.tar.Z).
2568 See perldoc ExtUtils::MakeMaker.pm for details.
2572 How to release and distribute a module.
2574 It's good idea to post an announcement of the availability of your
2575 module (or the module itself if small) to the comp.lang.perl.announce
2576 Usenet newsgroup. This will at least ensure very wide once-off
2579 If possible, register the module with CPAN. You should
2580 include details of its location in your announcement.
2582 Some notes about ftp archives: Please use a long descriptive file
2583 name that includes the version number. Most incoming directories
2584 will not be readable/listable, i.e., you won't be able to see your
2585 file after uploading it. Remember to send your email notification
2586 message as soon as possible after uploading else your file may get
2587 deleted automatically. Allow time for the file to be processed
2588 and/or check the file has been processed before announcing its
2591 FTP Archives for Perl Modules:
2593 Follow the instructions and links on:
2595 http://www.cpan.org/modules/00modlist.long.html
2596 http://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html
2598 or upload to one of these sites:
2600 https://pause.kbx.de/pause/
2601 http://pause.perl.org/pause/
2603 and notify <modules@perl.org>.
2605 By using the WWW interface you can ask the Upload Server to mirror
2606 your modules from your ftp or WWW site into your own directory on
2609 Please remember to send me an updated entry for the Module list!
2613 Take care when changing a released module.
2615 Always strive to remain compatible with previous released versions.
2616 Otherwise try to add a mechanism to revert to the
2617 old behavior if people rely on it. Document incompatible changes.
2623 =head2 Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules
2629 There is no requirement to convert anything.
2631 If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Perl 4 library scripts should
2632 continue to work with no problems. You may need to make some minor
2633 changes (like escaping non-array @'s in double quoted strings) but
2634 there is no need to convert a .pl file into a Module for just that.
2638 Consider the implications.
2640 All Perl applications that make use of the script will need to
2641 be changed (slightly) if the script is converted into a module. Is
2642 it worth it unless you plan to make other changes at the same time?
2646 Make the most of the opportunity.
2648 If you are going to convert the script to a module you can use the
2649 opportunity to redesign the interface. The guidelines for module
2650 creation above include many of the issues you should consider.
2654 The pl2pm utility will get you started.
2656 This utility will read *.pl files (given as parameters) and write
2657 corresponding *.pm files. The pl2pm utilities does the following:
2663 Adds the standard Module prologue lines
2667 Converts package specifiers from ' to ::
2671 Converts die(...) to croak(...)
2675 Several other minor changes
2679 Being a mechanical process pl2pm is not bullet proof. The converted
2680 code will need careful checking, especially any package statements.
2681 Don't delete the original .pl file till the new .pm one works!
2685 =head2 Guidelines for Reusing Application Code
2691 Complete applications rarely belong in the Perl Module Library.
2695 Many applications contain some Perl code that could be reused.
2697 Help save the world! Share your code in a form that makes it easy
2702 Break-out the reusable code into one or more separate module files.
2706 Take the opportunity to reconsider and redesign the interfaces.
2710 In some cases the 'application' can then be reduced to a small
2712 fragment of code built on top of the reusable modules. In these cases
2713 the application could invoked as:
2715 % perl -e 'use Module::Name; method(@ARGV)' ...
2717 % perl -mModule::Name ... (in perl5.002 or higher)
2723 Perl does not enforce private and public parts of its modules as you may
2724 have been used to in other languages like C++, Ada, or Modula-17. Perl
2725 doesn't have an infatuation with enforced privacy. It would prefer
2726 that you stayed out of its living room because you weren't invited, not
2727 because it has a shotgun.
2729 The module and its user have a contract, part of which is common law,
2730 and part of which is "written". Part of the common law contract is
2731 that a module doesn't pollute any namespace it wasn't asked to. The
2732 written contract for the module (A.K.A. documentation) may make other
2733 provisions. But then you know when you C<use RedefineTheWorld> that
2734 you're redefining the world and willing to take the consequences.