ExtUti...utorial(3perl) Perl Programmers Reference GuideExtUti...utorial(3perl)
NAME
ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Tutorial - Writing a module with MakeMaker
SYNOPSIS
use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
WriteMakefile(
NAME => 'Your::Module',
VERSION_FROM => 'lib/Your/Module.pm'
);
DESCRIPTION
This is a short tutorial on writing a simple module with MakeMaker.
It's really not that hard.
The Mantra
MakeMaker modules are installed using this simple mantra
perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install
There are lots more commands and options, but the above will do it.
The Layout
The basic files in a module look something like this.
Makefile.PL
MANIFEST
lib/Your/Module.pm
That's all that's strictly necessary. There's additional files you
might want:
lib/Your/Other/Module.pm
t/some_test.t
t/some_other_test.t
Changes
README
INSTALL
MANIFEST.SKIP
bin/some_program
Makefile.PL
When you run Makefile.PL, it makes a Makefile. That's the whole
point of MakeMaker. The Makefile.PL is a simple program which loads
ExtUtils::MakeMaker and runs the WriteMakefile() function to
generate a Makefile.
Here's an example of what you need for a simple module:
use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
WriteMakefile(
NAME => 'Your::Module',
VERSION_FROM => 'lib/Your/Module.pm'
);
NAME is the top-level namespace of your module. VERSION_FROM is the
file which contains the $VERSION variable for the entire
distribution. Typically this is the same as your top-level module.
MANIFEST
A simple listing of all the files in your distribution.
Makefile.PL
MANIFEST
lib/Your/Module.pm
File paths in a MANIFEST always use Unix conventions (ie. /) even if
you're not on Unix.
You can write this by hand or generate it with 'make manifest'.
See ExtUtils::Manifest for more details.
lib/
This is the directory where the .pm and .pod files you wish to have
installed go. They are laid out according to namespace. So
Foo::Bar is lib/Foo/Bar.pm.
t/ Tests for your modules go here. Each test filename ends with a .t.
So t/foo.t 'make test' will run these tests.
Typically, the t/ test directory is flat, with all test files
located directly within it. However, you can nest tests within
subdirectories, for example:
t/foo/subdir_test.t
To do this, you need to inform WriteMakefile() in your Makefile.PL
file in the following fashion:
test => {TESTS => 't/*.t t/*/*.t'}
That will run all tests in t/, as well as all tests in all
subdirectories that reside under t/. You can nest as deeply as makes
sense for your project. Simply add another entry in the test
location string. For example, to test:
t/foo/bar/subdir_test.t
You would use the following "test" directive:
test => {TESTS => 't/*.t t/*/*/*.t'}
Note that in the above example, tests in the first subdirectory will
not be run. To run all tests in the intermediary subdirectory
preceding the one the test files are in, you need to explicitly note
it:
test => {TESTS => 't/*.t t/*/*.t t/*/*/*.t'}
You don't need to specify wildcards if you only want to test within
specific subdirectories. The following example will only run tests
in t/foo:
test => {TESTS => 't/foo/*.t'}
Tests are run from the top level of your distribution. So inside a
test you would refer to ./lib to enter the lib directory, for
example.
Changes
A log of changes you've made to this module. The layout is free-
form. Here's an example:
1.01 Fri Apr 11 00:21:25 PDT 2003
- thing() does some stuff now
- fixed the wiggy bug in withit()
1.00 Mon Apr 7 00:57:15 PDT 2003
- "Rain of Frogs" now supported
README
A short description of your module, what it does, why someone would
use it and its limitations. CPAN automatically pulls your README
file out of the archive and makes it available to CPAN users, it is
the first thing they will read to decide if your module is right for
them.
INSTALL
Instructions on how to install your module along with any
dependencies. Suggested information to include here:
any extra modules required for use
the minimum version of Perl required
if only works on certain operating systems
MANIFEST.SKIP
A file full of regular expressions to exclude when using 'make
manifest' to generate the MANIFEST. These regular expressions are
checked against each file path found in the distribution (so you're
matching against "t/foo.t" not "foo.t").
Here's a sample:
~$ # ignore emacs and vim backup files
.bak$ # ignore manual backups
\# # ignore CVS old revision files and emacs temp files
Since # can be used for comments, # must be escaped.
MakeMaker comes with a default MANIFEST.SKIP to avoid things like
version control directories and backup files. Specifying your own
will override this default.
bin/
SEE ALSO
perlmodstyle gives stylistic help writing a module.
perlnewmod gives more information about how to write a module.
There are modules to help you through the process of writing a module:
ExtUtils::ModuleMaker, Module::Starter, Minilla::Tutorial,
Dist::Milla::Tutorial, Dist::Zilla::Starter
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