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PERLMODLIB(1)
NAME
perlmodlib - constructing new Perl modules and finding existing ones
DESCRIPTION
THE PERL MODULE LIBRARY
Many modules are included the Perl distribution. These are described
below, and all end in .pm. You may discover compiled library file (usually
ending in .so) or small pieces of modules to be autoloaded (ending in .al);
these were automatically generated by the installation process. You may
also discover files in the library directory that end in either .pl or .ph.
These are old libraries supplied so that old programs that use them still
run. The .pl files will all eventually be converted into standard modules,
and the .ph files made by h2ph will probably end up as extension modules
made by h2xs. (Some .ph values may already be available through the POSIX,
Errno, or Fcntl modules.) The pl2pm file in the distribution may help in
your conversion, but it's just a mechanical process and therefore far from
bulletproof.
Pragmatic Modules
They work somewhat like compiler directives (pragmata) in that they tend to
affect the compilation of your program, and thus will usually work well
only when used within a "use", or "no". Most of these are lexically
scoped, so an inner BLOCK may countermand them by saying:
no integer;
no strict 'refs';
no warnings;
which lasts until the end of that BLOCK.
Some pragmas are lexically scoped--typically those that affect the "$^H"
hints variable. Others affect the current package instead, like "use vars"
and "use subs", which allow you to predeclare a variables or subroutines
within a particular file rather than just a block. Such declarations are
effective for the entire file for which they were declared. You cannot
rescind them with "no vars" or "no subs".
The following pragmas are defined (and have their own documentation).
attributes Get/set subroutine or variable attributes
attrs Set/get attributes of a subroutine (deprecated)
autouse Postpone load of modules until a function is used
base Establish IS-A relationship with base class at compile time
blib Use MakeMaker's uninstalled version of a package
bytes Force byte semantics rather than character semantics
charnames Define character names for "\N{named}" string literal escape.
constant Declare constants
diagnostics Perl compiler pragma to force verbose warning diagnostics
fields Compile-time class fields
filetest Control the filetest permission operators
integer Use integer arithmetic instead of floating point
less Request less of something from the compiler
lib Manipulate @INC at compile time
locale Use and avoid POSIX locales for built-in operations
open Set default disciplines for input and output
ops Restrict unsafe operations when compiling
overload Package for overloading perl operations
re Alter regular expression behaviour
sigtrap Enable simple signal handling
strict Restrict unsafe constructs
subs Predeclare sub names
utf8 Enable/disable UTF-8 in source code
vars Predeclare global variable names (obsolete)
warnings Control optional warnings
warnings::register
Warnings import function
Standard Modules
Standard, bundled modules are all expected to behave in a well-defined
manner with respect to namespace pollution because they use the Exporter
module. See their own documentation for details.
AnyDBM_File Provide framework for multiple DBMs
AutoLoader Load subroutines only on demand
AutoSplit Split a package for autoloading
B The Perl Compiler
B::Asmdata Autogenerated data about Perl ops, used to generate bytecode
B::Assembler
Assemble Perl bytecode
B::Bblock Walk basic blocks
B::Bytecode Perl compiler's bytecode backend
B::C Perl compiler's C backend
B::CC Perl compiler's optimized C translation backend
B::Concise Walk Perl syntax tree, printing concise info about ops
B::Debug Walk Perl syntax tree, printing debug info about ops
B::Deparse Perl compiler backend to produce perl code
B::Disassembler
Disassemble Perl bytecode
B::Lint Perl lint
B::Showlex Show lexical variables used in functions or files
B::Stackobj Helper module for CC backend
B::Stash Show what stashes are loaded
B::Terse Walk Perl syntax tree, printing terse info about ops
B::Xref Generates cross reference reports for Perl programs
Benchmark Benchmark running times of Perl code
ByteLoader Load byte compiled perl code
CGI Simple Common Gateway Interface Class
CGI::Apache Backward compatibility module for CGI.pm
CGI::Carp CGI routines for writing to the HTTPD (or other) error log
CGI::Cookie Interface to Netscape Cookies
CGI::Fast CGI Interface for Fast CGI
CGI::Pretty Module to produce nicely formatted HTML code
CGI::Push Simple Interface to Server Push
CGI::Switch Backward compatibility module for defunct CGI::Switch
CGI::Util Internal utilities used by CGI module
CPAN Query, download and build perl modules from CPAN sites
CPAN::FirstTime
Utility for CPAN::Config file Initialization
CPAN::Nox Wrapper around CPAN.pm without using any XS module
Carp Warn of errors (from perspective of caller)
Carp::Heavy Carp guts
Class::Struct
Declare struct-like datatypes as Perl classes
Cwd Get pathname of current working directory
DB Programmatic interface to the Perl debugging API (draft,
subject to
DB_File Perl5 access to Berkeley DB version 1.x
Devel::SelfStubber
Generate stubs for a SelfLoading module
DirHandle Supply object methods for directory handles
Dumpvalue Provides screen dump of Perl data.
English Use nice English (or awk) names for ugly punctuation variables
Env Perl module that imports environment variables as scalars or
arrays
Exporter Implements default import method for modules
Exporter::Heavy
Exporter guts
ExtUtils::Command
Utilities to replace common UNIX commands in Makefiles etc.
ExtUtils::Embed
Utilities for embedding Perl in C/C++ applications
ExtUtils::Install
Install files from here to there
ExtUtils::Installed
Inventory management of installed modules
ExtUtils::Liblist
Determine libraries to use and how to use them
ExtUtils::MM_Cygwin
Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
ExtUtils::MM_OS2
Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
ExtUtils::MM_Unix
Methods used by ExtUtils::MakeMaker
ExtUtils::MM_VMS
Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
ExtUtils::MM_Win32
Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker
ExtUtils::MakeMaker
Create an extension Makefile
ExtUtils::Manifest
Utilities to write and check a MANIFEST file
ExtUtils::Mkbootstrap
Make a bootstrap file for use by DynaLoader
ExtUtils::Mksymlists
Write linker options files for dynamic extension
ExtUtils::Packlist
Manage .packlist files
ExtUtils::testlib
Add blib/* directories to @INC
Fatal Replace functions with equivalents which succeed or die
Fcntl Load the C Fcntl.h defines
File::Basename
Split a pathname into pieces
File::CheckTree
Run many filetest checks on a tree
File::Compare
Compare files or filehandles
File::Copy Copy files or filehandles
File::DosGlob
DOS like globbing and then some
File::Find Traverse a file tree
File::Path Create or remove directory trees
File::Spec Portably perform operations on file names
File::Spec::Epoc
Methods for Epoc file specs
File::Spec::Functions
Portably perform operations on file names
File::Spec::Mac
File::Spec for MacOS
File::Spec::OS2
Methods for OS/2 file specs
File::Spec::Unix
Methods used by File::Spec
File::Spec::VMS
Methods for VMS file specs
File::Spec::Win32
Methods for Win32 file specs
File::Temp Return name and handle of a temporary file safely
File::stat By-name interface to Perl's built-in stat() functions
FileCache Keep more files open than the system permits
FileHandle Supply object methods for filehandles
FindBin Locate directory of original perl script
GDBM_File Perl5 access to the gdbm library.
Getopt::Long
Extended processing of command line options
Getopt::Std Process single-character switches with switch clustering
I18N::Collate
Compare 8-bit scalar data according to the current locale
IO Load various IO modules
IPC::Open2 Open a process for both reading and writing
IPC::Open3 Open a process for reading, writing, and error handling
Math::BigFloat
Arbitrary length float math package
Math::BigInt
Arbitrary size integer math package
Math::Complex
Complex numbers and associated mathematical functions
Math::Trig Trigonometric functions
Net::Ping Check a remote host for reachability
Net::hostent
By-name interface to Perl's built-in gethost*() functions
Net::netent By-name interface to Perl's built-in getnet*() functions
Net::protoent
By-name interface to Perl's built-in getproto*() functions
Net::servent
By-name interface to Perl's built-in getserv*() functions
O Generic interface to Perl Compiler backends
Opcode Disable named opcodes when compiling perl code
POSIX Perl interface to IEEE Std 1003.1
Pod::Checker
Check pod documents for syntax errors
Pod::Find Find POD documents in directory trees
Pod::Html Module to convert pod files to HTML
Pod::InputObjects
Objects representing POD input paragraphs, commands, etc.
Pod::LaTeX Convert Pod data to formatted Latex
Pod::Man Convert POD data to formatted *roff input
Pod::ParseUtils
Helpers for POD parsing and conversion
Pod::Parser Base class for creating POD filters and translators
Pod::Plainer
Perl extension for converting Pod to old style Pod.
Pod::Select Extract selected sections of POD from input
Pod::Text Convert POD data to formatted ASCII text
Pod::Text::Color
Convert POD data to formatted color ASCII text
Pod::Text::Overstrike
Convert POD data to formatted overstrike text
Pod::Text::Termcap
Convert POD data to ASCII text with format escapes
Pod::Usage Print a usage message from embedded pod documentation
SDBM_File Tied access to sdbm files
Safe Compile and execute code in restricted compartments
Search::Dict
Search for key in dictionary file
SelectSaver Save and restore selected file handle
SelfLoader Load functions only on demand
Shell Run shell commands transparently within perl
Socket Load the C socket.h defines and structure manipulators
Symbol Manipulate Perl symbols and their names
Term::ANSIColor
Color screen output using ANSI escape sequences
Term::Cap Perl termcap interface
Term::Complete
Perl word completion module
Term::ReadLine
Perl interface to various "readline" packages. If
Test Provides a simple framework for writing test scripts
Test::Harness
Run perl standard test scripts with statistics
Text::Abbrev
Create an abbreviation table from a list
Text::ParseWords
Parse text into an array of tokens or array of arrays
Text::Soundex
Implementation of the Soundex Algorithm as Described by Knuth
Text::Tabs Expand and unexpand tabs per the unix expand(1) and unexpand(1)
Text::Wrap Line wrapping to form simple paragraphs
Thread Manipulate threads in Perl (EXPERIMENTAL, subject to change)
Thread::Queue
Thread-safe queues
Thread::Semaphore
Thread-safe semaphores
Thread::Signal
Start a thread which runs signal handlers reliably
Thread::Specific
Thread-specific keys
Tie::Array Base class for tied arrays
Tie::Handle Base class definitions for tied handles
Tie::Hash Base class definitions for tied hashes
Tie::RefHash
Use references as hash keys
Tie::Scalar Base class definitions for tied scalars
Tie::SubstrHash
Fixed-table-size, fixed-key-length hashing
Time::Local Efficiently compute time from local and GMT time
Time::gmtime
By-name interface to Perl's built-in gmtime() function
Time::localtime
By-name interface to Perl's built-in localtime() function
Time::tm Internal object used by Time::gmtime and Time::localtime
UNIVERSAL Base class for ALL classes (blessed references)
User::grent By-name interface to Perl's built-in getgr*() functions
User::pwent By-name interface to Perl's built-in getpw*() functions
Win32 Interfaces to some Win32 API Functions
To find out all modules installed on your system, including those without
documentation or outside the standard release, just do this:
% find `perl -e 'print "@INC"'` -name '*.pm' -print
They should all have their own documentation installed and accessible via
your system man(1) command. If you do not have a find program, you can use
the Perl find2perl program instead, which generates Perl code as output you
can run through perl. If you have a man program but it doesn't find your
modules, you'll have to fix your manpath. See the perl manpage for
details. If you have no system man command, you might try the perldoc
program.
Extension Modules
Extension modules are written in C (or a mix of Perl and C). They are
usually dynamically loaded into Perl if and when you need them, but may
also be be linked in statically. Supported extension modules include
Socket, Fcntl, and POSIX.
Many popular C extension modules do not come bundled (at least, not
completely) due to their sizes, volatility, or simply lack of time for
adequate testing and configuration across the multitude of platforms on
which Perl was beta-tested. You are encouraged to look for them on CPAN
(described below), or using web search engines like Alta Vista or Deja
News.
CPAN
CPAN stands for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network; it's a globally
replicated trove of Perl materials, including documentation, style guides,
tricks and traps, alternate ports to non-Unix systems and occasional binary
distributions for these. Search engines for CPAN can be found at
http://cpan.perl.com/ and at http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/mod_perl/cpan-
search.pl .
Most importantly, CPAN includes around a thousand unbundled modules, some
of which require a C compiler to build. Major categories of modules are:
· Language Extensions and Documentation Tools
· Development Support
· Operating System Interfaces
· Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication
· Data Types and Data Type Utilities
· Database Interfaces
· User Interfaces
· Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages
· File Names, File Systems and File Locking (see also File Handles)
· String Processing, Language Text Processing, Parsing, and Searching
· Option, Argument, Parameter, and Configuration File Processing
· Internationalization and Locale
· Authentication, Security, and Encryption
· World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME
· Server and Daemon Utilities
· Archiving and Compression
· Images, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing, and Graphing
· Mail and Usenet News
· Control Flow Utilities (callbacks and exceptions etc)
· File Handle and Input/Output Stream Utilities
· Miscellaneous Modules
Registered CPAN sites as of this writing include the following. You should
try to choose one close to you:
Africa
· South Africa
ftp://ftp.is.co.za/programming/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.saix.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftpza.co.za/pub/mirrors/cpan/
ftp://ftp.sun.ac.za/CPAN/
Asia
· China
ftp://freesoft.cei.gov.cn/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
http://www2.linuxforum.net/mirror/CPAN/
http://cpan.shellhung.org/
ftp://ftp.shellhung.org/pub/CPAN
· Hong Kong
http://CPAN.pacific.net.hk/
ftp://ftp.pacific.net.hk/pub/mirror/CPAN/
· Indonesia
http://piksi.itb.ac.id/CPAN/
ftp://mirrors.piksi.itb.ac.id/CPAN/
http://CPAN.mweb.co.id/
ftp://ftp.mweb.co.id/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
· Israel
http://www.iglu.org.il:/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.iglu.org.il/pub/CPAN/
http://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/pub/software/perl/CPAN/
ftp://bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il/pub/software/perl/CPAN/
· Japan
ftp://ftp.u-aizu.ac.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.kddlabs.co.jp/CPAN/
http://mirror.nucba.ac.jp/mirror/Perl/
ftp://mirror.nucba.ac.jp/mirror/Perl/
ftp://ftp.meisei-u.ac.jp/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.dti.ad.jp/pub/lang/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.ring.gr.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
· Saudi Arabia
ftp://ftp.isu.net.sa/pub/CPAN/
· Singapore
http://cpan.hjc.edu.sg
http://ftp.nus.edu.sg/unix/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.nus.edu.sg/pub/unix/perl/CPAN/
· South Korea
http://CPAN.bora.net/
ftp://ftp.bora.net/pub/CPAN/
http://ftp.kornet.net/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.kornet.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.nuri.net/pub/CPAN/
· Taiwan
ftp://coda.nctu.edu.tw/UNIX/perl/CPAN
ftp://ftp.ee.ncku.edu.tw/pub/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp1.sinica.edu.tw/pub1/perl/CPAN/
· Thailand
http://download.nectec.or.th/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.nectec.or.th/pub/languages/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.cs.riubon.ac.th/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
Central America
· Costa Rica
ftp://ftp.linux.co.cr/mirrors/CPAN/
http://ftp.ucr.ac.cr/Unix/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.ucr.ac.cr/pub/Unix/CPAN/
Europe
· Austria
ftp://ftp.tuwien.ac.at/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
· Belgium
http://ftp.easynet.be/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.easynet.be/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.kulnet.kuleuven.ac.be/pub/mirror/CPAN/
· Bulgaria
ftp://ftp.ntrl.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
· Croatia
ftp://ftp.linux.hr/pub/CPAN/
· Czech Republic
http://www.fi.muni.cz/pub/perl/
ftp://ftp.fi.muni.cz/pub/perl/
ftp://sunsite.mff.cuni.cz/MIRRORS/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
· Denmark
ftp://sunsite.auc.dk/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
http://www.cpan.dk/CPAN/
ftp://www.cpan.dk/ftp.cpan.org/CPAN/
· England
http://www.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
ftp://ftp.mirror.ac.uk/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.flirble.org/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.plig.org/pub/CPAN/
ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/CPAN/
http://mirror.uklinux.net/CPAN/
ftp://mirror.uklinux.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://usit.shef.ac.uk/pub/packages/CPAN/
· Estonia
ftp://ftp.ut.ee/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
· Finland
ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
· France
ftp://cpan.ftp.worldonline.fr/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.club-internet.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.oleane.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.pasteur.fr/pub/computing/CPAN/
ftp://cpan.cict.fr/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.uvsq.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
· Germany
ftp://ftp.rz.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/source/CPAN/
ftp://ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de/pub/Mirrors/CPAN
ftp://ftp.gigabell.net/pub/CPAN/
http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.uni-hamburg.de/pub/soft/lang/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.leo.org/pub/comp/general/programming/languages/script/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.mpi-sb.mpg.de/pub/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.gmd.de/mirrors/CPAN/
· Greece
ftp://ftp.forthnet.gr/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
ftp://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/lang/perl/
· Hungary
http://cpan.artifact.hu/
ftp://cpan.artifact.hu/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.kfki.hu/pub/packages/perl/CPAN/
· Iceland
http://cpan.gm.is/
ftp://ftp.gm.is/pub/CPAN/
· Ireland
http://cpan.indigo.ie/
ftp://cpan.indigo.ie/pub/CPAN/
http://sunsite.compapp.dcu.ie/pub/perl/
ftp://sunsite.compapp.dcu.ie/pub/perl/
· Italy
http://cpan.nettuno.it/
http://gusp.dyndns.org/CPAN/
ftp://gusp.dyndns.org/pub/CPAN
http://softcity.iol.it/cpan
ftp://softcity.iol.it/pub/cpan
ftp://ftp.unina.it/pub/Other/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.unipi.it/pub/mirror/perl/CPAN/
ftp://cis.uniRoma2.it/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.edisontel.it/pub/CPAN_Mirror/
ftp://ftp.flashnet.it/pub/CPAN/
· Latvia
http://kvin.lv/pub/CPAN/
· Netherlands
ftp://download.xs4all.nl/pub/mirror/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.nl.uu.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.cpan.nl/pub/CPAN/
http://www.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/
· Norway
ftp://sunsite.uio.no/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.uit.no/pub/languages/perl/cpan/
· Poland
ftp://ftp.pk.edu.pl/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.mega.net.pl/pub/mirrors/ftp.perl.com/
ftp://ftp.man.torun.pl/pub/doc/CPAN/
ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/CPAN/
· Portugal
ftp://ftp.ua.pt/pub/CPAN/
ftp://perl.di.uminho.pt/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.ist.utl.pt/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.netc.pt/pub/CPAN/
· Romania
ftp://archive.logicnet.ro/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.kappa.ro/pub/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.dntis.ro/pub/cpan/
ftp://ftp.opsynet.com/cpan/
ftp://ftp.dnttm.ro/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.timisoara.roedu.net/mirrors/CPAN/
· Russia
ftp://ftp.chg.ru/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
http://cpan.rinet.ru/
ftp://cpan.rinet.ru/pub/mirror/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.aha.ru/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.sai.msu.su/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
· Slovakia
ftp://ftp.entry.sk/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
· Slovenia
ftp://ftp.arnes.si/software/perl/CPAN/
· Spain
ftp://ftp.rediris.es/mirror/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.etse.urv.es/pub/perl/
· Sweden
http://ftp.du.se/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.du.se/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
· Switzerland
ftp://ftp.danyk.ch/CPAN/
ftp://sunsite.cnlab-switch.ch/mirror/CPAN/
· Turkey
ftp://sunsite.bilkent.edu.tr/pub/languages/CPAN/
North America
· Canada
· Alberta
http://sunsite.ualberta.ca/pub/Mirror/CPAN/
ftp://sunsite.ualberta.ca/pub/Mirror/CPAN/
· Manitoba
http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/
ftp://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/
· Nova Scotia
ftp://cpan.chebucto.ns.ca/pub/CPAN/
· Ontario
ftp://ftp.crc.ca/pub/packages/lang/perl/CPAN/
· Mexico
http://www.msg.com.mx/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.msg.com.mx/pub/CPAN/
· United States
· Alabama
http://mirror.hiwaay.net/CPAN/
ftp://mirror.hiwaay.net/CPAN/
· California
http://www.cpan.org/
ftp://ftp.cpan.org/CPAN/
ftp://cpan.nas.nasa.gov/pub/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/plan/perl/CPAN/
http://www.kernel.org/pub/mirrors/cpan/
ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/mirrors/cpan/
http://www.perl.com/CPAN/
http://download.sourceforge.net/mirrors/CPAN/
· Colorado
ftp://ftp.cs.colorado.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/
· Florida
ftp://ftp.cise.ufl.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/
· Georgia
ftp://ftp.twoguys.org/CPAN/
· Illinois
http://www.neurogames.com/mirrors/CPAN
http://uiarchive.uiuc.edu/mirrors/ftp/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/
ftp://uiarchive.uiuc.edu/mirrors/ftp/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/
· Indiana
ftp://ftp.uwsg.indiana.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/
http://cpan.nitco.com/
ftp://cpan.nitco.com/pub/CPAN/
ftp://cpan.in-span.net/
http://csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/CPAN
ftp://csociety-ftp.ecn.purdue.edu/pub/CPAN
· Kentucky
http://cpan.uky.edu/
ftp://cpan.uky.edu/pub/CPAN/
· Massachusetts
ftp://ftp.ccs.neu.edu/net/mirrors/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.iguide.com/pub/mirrors/packages/perl/CPAN/
· New Jersey
ftp://ftp.cpanel.net/pub/CPAN/
· New York
ftp://ftp.freesoftware.com/pub/perl/CPAN/
http://www.deao.net/mirrors/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.deao.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.stealth.net/pub/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/
http://mirror.nyc.anidea.com/CPAN/
ftp://mirror.nyc.anidea.com/pub/CPAN/
http://www.rge.com/pub/languages/perl/
ftp://ftp.rge.com/pub/languages/perl/
ftp://mirrors.cloud9.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
· North Carolina
ftp://ftp.duke.edu/pub/perl/
· Ohio
ftp://ftp.loaded.net/pub/CPAN/
· Oklahoma
ftp://ftp.ou.edu/mirrors/CPAN/
· Oregon
ftp://ftp.orst.edu/pub/packages/CPAN/
· Pennsylvania
http://ftp.epix.net/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.epix.net/pub/languages/perl/
ftp://carroll.cac.psu.edu/pub/CPAN/
· Tennessee
ftp://ftp.sunsite.utk.edu/pub/CPAN/
· Texas
http://ftp.sedl.org/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
http://jhcloos.com/pub/mirror/CPAN/
ftp://jhcloos.com/pub/mirror/CPAN/
· Utah
ftp://mirror.xmission.com/CPAN/
· Virginia
http://mirrors.rcn.net/pub/lang/CPAN/
ftp://mirrors.rcn.net/pub/lang/CPAN/
ftp://ruff.cs.jmu.edu/pub/CPAN/
http://perl.Liquidation.com/CPAN/
· Washington
http://cpan.llarian.net/
ftp://cpan.llarian.net/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp-mirror.internap.com/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.spu.edu/pub/CPAN/
Oceania
· Australia
http://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/CPAN/
ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/perl/CPAN/
ftp://cpan.topend.com.au/pub/CPAN/
· New Zealand
ftp://ftp.auckland.ac.nz/pub/perl/CPAN/
South America
· Argentina
ftp://mirrors.bannerlandia.com.ar/mirrors/CPAN/
· Brazil
ftp://cpan.pop-mg.com.br/pub/CPAN/
ftp://ftp.matrix.com.br/pub/perl/
ftp://cpan.if.usp.br/pub/mirror/CPAN/
· Chile
ftp://ftp.psinet.cl/pub/programming/perl/CPAN/
ftp://sunsite.dcc.uchile.cl/pub/lang/perl/
For an up-to-date listing of CPAN sites, see http://www.cpan.org/SITES or
ftp://www.cpan.org/SITES .
Modules: Creation, Use, and Abuse
(The following section is borrowed directly from Tim Bunce's modules file,
available at your nearest CPAN site.)
Perl implements a class using a package, but the presence of a package
doesn't imply the presence of a class. A package is just a namespace. A
class is a package that provides subroutines that can be used as methods.
A method is just a subroutine that expects, as its first argument, either
the name of a package (for "static" methods), or a reference to something
(for "virtual" methods).
A module is a file that (by convention) provides a class of the same name
(sans the .pm), plus an import method in that class that can be called to
fetch exported symbols. This module may implement some of its methods by
loading dynamic C or C++ objects, but that should be totally transparent to
the user of the module. Likewise, the module might set up an AUTOLOAD
function to slurp in subroutine definitions on demand, but this is also
transparent. Only the .pm file is required to exist. See the perlsub
manpage, the perltoot manpage, and the AutoLoader manpage for details about
the AUTOLOAD mechanism.
Guidelines for Module Creation
· Do similar modules already exist in some form?
If so, please try to reuse the existing modules either in whole or by
inheriting useful features into a new class. If this is not practical
try to get together with the module authors to work on extending or
enhancing the functionality of the existing modules. A perfect example
is the plethora of packages in perl4 for dealing with command line
options.
If you are writing a module to expand an already existing set of
modules, please coordinate with the author of the package. It helps if
you follow the same naming scheme and module interaction scheme as the
original author.
· Try to design the new module to be easy to extend and reuse.
Try to "use warnings;" (or "use warnings qw(...);"). Remember that you
can add "no warnings qw(...);" to individual blocks of code that need
less warnings.
Use blessed references. Use the two argument form of bless to bless
into the class name given as the first parameter of the constructor,
e.g.,:
sub new {
my $class = shift;
return bless {}, $class;
}
or even this if you'd like it to be used as either a static or a
virtual method.
sub new {
my $self = shift;
my $class = ref($self) || $self;
return bless {}, $class;
}
Pass arrays as references so more parameters can be added later (it's
also faster). Convert functions into methods where appropriate. Split
large methods into smaller more flexible ones. Inherit methods from
other modules if appropriate.
Avoid class name tests like: "die "Invalid" unless ref $ref eq 'FOO'".
Generally you can delete the "eq 'FOO'" part with no harm at all. Let
the objects look after themselves! Generally, avoid hard-wired class
names as far as possible.
Avoid "$r->Class::func()" where using "@ISA=qw(... Class ...)" and
"$r->func()" would work (see the perlbot manpage for more details).
Use autosplit so little used or newly added functions won't be a burden
to programs that don't use them. Add test functions to the module after
__END__ either using AutoSplit or by saying:
eval join('',<main::DATA>) || die $@ unless caller();
Does your module pass the 'empty subclass' test? If you say
"@SUBCLASS::ISA = qw(YOURCLASS);" your applications should be able to
use SUBCLASS in exactly the same way as YOURCLASS. For example, does
your application still work if you change: "$obj = new YOURCLASS;"
into: "$obj = new SUBCLASS;" ?
Avoid keeping any state information in your packages. It makes it
difficult for multiple other packages to use yours. Keep state
information in objects.
Always use -w.
Try to "use strict;" (or "use strict qw(...);"). Remember that you can
add "no strict qw(...);" to individual blocks of code that need less
strictness.
Always use -w.
Follow the guidelines in the perlstyle(1) manual.
Always use -w.
· Some simple style guidelines
The perlstyle manual supplied with Perl has many helpful points.
Coding style is a matter of personal taste. Many people evolve their
style over several years as they learn what helps them write and
maintain good code. Here's one set of assorted suggestions that seem
to be widely used by experienced developers:
Use underscores to separate words. It is generally easier to read
$var_names_like_this than $VarNamesLikeThis, especially for non-native
speakers of English. It's also a simple rule that works consistently
with VAR_NAMES_LIKE_THIS.
Package/Module names are an exception to this rule. Perl informally
reserves lowercase module names for 'pragma' modules like integer and
strict. Other modules normally begin with a capital letter and use
mixed case with no underscores (need to be short and portable).
You may find it helpful to use letter case to indicate the scope or
nature of a variable. For example:
$ALL_CAPS_HERE constants only (beware clashes with Perl vars)
$Some_Caps_Here package-wide global/static
$no_caps_here function scope my() or local() variables
Function and method names seem to work best as all lowercase. e.g.,
"$obj->as_string()".
You can use a leading underscore to indicate that a variable or
function should not be used outside the package that defined it.
· Select what to export.
Do NOT export method names!
Do NOT export anything else by default without a good reason!
Exports pollute the namespace of the module user. If you must export
try to use @EXPORT_OK in preference to @EXPORT and avoid short or
common names to reduce the risk of name clashes.
Generally anything not exported is still accessible from outside the
module using the ModuleName::item_name (or "$blessed_ref->method")
syntax. By convention you can use a leading underscore on names to
indicate informally that they are 'internal' and not for public use.
(It is actually possible to get private functions by saying: "my
$subref = sub { ... }; &$subref;". But there's no way to call that
directly as a method, because a method must have a name in the symbol
table.)
As a general rule, if the module is trying to be object oriented then
export nothing. If it's just a collection of functions then @EXPORT_OK
anything but use @EXPORT with caution.
· Select a name for the module.
This name should be as descriptive, accurate, and complete as possible.
Avoid any risk of ambiguity. Always try to use two or more whole words.
Generally the name should reflect what is special about what the module
does rather than how it does it. Please use nested module names to
group informally or categorize a module. There should be a very good
reason for a module not to have a nested name. Module names should
begin with a capital letter.
Having 57 modules all called Sort will not make life easy for anyone
(though having 23 called Sort::Quick is only marginally better :-).
Imagine someone trying to install your module alongside many others.
If in any doubt ask for suggestions in comp.lang.perl.misc.
If you are developing a suite of related modules/classes it's good
practice to use nested classes with a common prefix as this will avoid
namespace clashes. For example: Xyz::Control, Xyz::View, Xyz::Model
etc. Use the modules in this list as a naming guide.
If adding a new module to a set, follow the original author's standards
for naming modules and the interface to methods in those modules.
If developing modules for private internal or project specific use,
that will never be released to the public, then you should ensure that
their names will not clash with any future public module. You can do
this either by using the reserved Local::* category or by using a
category name that includes an underscore like Foo_Corp::*.
To be portable each component of a module name should be limited to 11
characters. If it might be used on MS-DOS then try to ensure each is
unique in the first 8 characters. Nested modules make this easier.
· Have you got it right?
How do you know that you've made the right decisions? Have you picked
an interface design that will cause problems later? Have you picked the
most appropriate name? Do you have any questions?
The best way to know for sure, and pick up many helpful suggestions, is
to ask someone who knows. Comp.lang.perl.misc is read by just about all
the people who develop modules and it's the best place to ask.
All you need to do is post a short summary of the module, its purpose
and interfaces. A few lines on each of the main methods is probably
enough. (If you post the whole module it might be ignored by busy
people - generally the very people you want to read it!)
Don't worry about posting if you can't say when the module will be
ready - just say so in the message. It might be worth inviting others
to help you, they may be able to complete it for you!
· README and other Additional Files.
It's well known that software developers usually fully document the
software they write. If, however, the world is in urgent need of your
software and there is not enough time to write the full documentation
please at least provide a README file containing:
· A description of the module/package/extension etc.
· A copyright notice - see below.
· Prerequisites - what else you may need to have.
· How to build it - possible changes to Makefile.PL etc.
· How to install it.
· Recent changes in this release, especially incompatibilities
· Changes / enhancements you plan to make in the future.
If the README file seems to be getting too large you may wish to split
out some of the sections into separate files: INSTALL, Copying, ToDo
etc.
Adding a Copyright Notice.
How you choose to license your work is a personal decision. The
general mechanism is to assert your Copyright and then make a
declaration of how others may copy/use/modify your work.
Perl, for example, is supplied with two types of licence: The GNU
GPL and The Artistic Licence (see the files README, Copying, and
Artistic). Larry has good reasons for NOT just using the GNU GPL.
My personal recommendation, out of respect for Larry, Perl, and the
Perl community at large is to state something simply like:
Copyright (c) 1995 Your Name. All rights reserved.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
This statement should at least appear in the README file. You may
also wish to include it in a Copying file and your source files.
Remember to include the other words in addition to the Copyright.
· Give the module a version/issue/release number.
To be fully compatible with the Exporter and MakeMaker modules you
should store your module's version number in a non-my package
variable called $VERSION. This should be a floating point number
with at least two digits after the decimal (i.e., hundredths, e.g,
"$VERSION = "0.01""). Don't use a "1.3.2" style version. See the
Exporter manpage for details.
It may be handy to add a function or method to retrieve the number.
Use the number in announcements and archive file names when
releasing the module (ModuleName-1.02.tar.Z). See perldoc
ExtUtils::MakeMaker.pm for details.
· How to release and distribute a module.
It's good idea to post an announcement of the availability of your
module (or the module itself if small) to the
comp.lang.perl.announce Usenet newsgroup. This will at least
ensure very wide once-off distribution.
If possible, register the module with CPAN. You should include
details of its location in your announcement.
Some notes about ftp archives: Please use a long descriptive file
name that includes the version number. Most incoming directories
will not be readable/listable, i.e., you won't be able to see your
file after uploading it. Remember to send your email notification
message as soon as possible after uploading else your file may get
deleted automatically. Allow time for the file to be processed
and/or check the file has been processed before announcing its
location.
FTP Archives for Perl Modules:
Follow the instructions and links on:
http://www.cpan.org/modules/00modlist.long.html
http://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html
or upload to one of these sites:
https://pause.kbx.de/pause/
http://pause.perl.org/pause/
and notify <modules@perl.org>.
By using the WWW interface you can ask the Upload Server to mirror
your modules from your ftp or WWW site into your own directory on
CPAN!
Please remember to send me an updated entry for the Module list!
· Take care when changing a released module.
Always strive to remain compatible with previous released versions.
Otherwise try to add a mechanism to revert to the old behavior if
people rely on it. Document incompatible changes.
Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules
· There is no requirement to convert anything.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Perl 4 library scripts should continue
to work with no problems. You may need to make some minor changes (like
escaping non-array @'s in double quoted strings) but there is no need
to convert a .pl file into a Module for just that.
· Consider the implications.
All Perl applications that make use of the script will need to be
changed (slightly) if the script is converted into a module. Is it
worth it unless you plan to make other changes at the same time?
· Make the most of the opportunity.
If you are going to convert the script to a module you can use the
opportunity to redesign the interface. The guidelines for module
creation above include many of the issues you should consider.
· The pl2pm utility will get you started.
This utility will read *.pl files (given as parameters) and write
corresponding *.pm files. The pl2pm utilities does the following:
· Adds the standard Module prologue lines
· Converts package specifiers from ' to ::
· Converts die(...) to croak(...)
· Several other minor changes
Being a mechanical process pl2pm is not bullet proof. The converted
code will need careful checking, especially any package statements.
Don't delete the original .pl file till the new .pm one works!
Guidelines for Reusing Application Code
· Complete applications rarely belong in the Perl Module Library.
· Many applications contain some Perl code that could be reused.
Help save the world! Share your code in a form that makes it easy to
reuse.
· Break-out the reusable code into one or more separate module files.
· Take the opportunity to reconsider and redesign the interfaces.
· In some cases the 'application' can then be reduced to a small
fragment of code built on top of the reusable modules. In these cases
the application could invoked as:
% perl -e 'use Module::Name; method(@ARGV)' ...
or
% perl -mModule::Name ... (in perl5.002 or higher)
NOTE
Perl does not enforce private and public parts of its modules as you may
have been used to in other languages like C++, Ada, or Modula-17. Perl
doesn't have an infatuation with enforced privacy. It would prefer that
you stayed out of its living room because you weren't invited, not because
it has a shotgun.
The module and its user have a contract, part of which is common law, and
part of which is "written". Part of the common law contract is that a
module doesn't pollute any namespace it wasn't asked to. The written
contract for the module (A.K.A. documentation) may make other provisions.
But then you know when you "use RedefineTheWorld" that you're redefining
the world and willing to take the consequences.
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