NAME
perlmodinstall - Installing CPAN Modules
DESCRIPTION
You can think of a module as the fundamental unit of reusable Perl code; see perlmod for details. Whenever anyone creates a chunk of Perl code that they think will be useful to the world, they register as a Perl developer at http://www.cpan.org/modules/04pause.html so that they can then upload their code to the CPAN. The CPAN is the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network and can be accessed at http://www.cpan.org/ , and searched at http://search.cpan.org/ . This documentation is for people who want to download CPAN modules and install them on their own computer. PPRREEAAMMBBLLEE First, are you sure that the module isn't already on your system? Try"perl -MFoo -e 1". (Replace "Foo" with the name of the module; for
instance, "perl -MCGI::Carp -e 1".
If you don't see an error message, you have the module. (If you do see an error message, it's still possible you have the module, but thatit's not in your path, which you can display with "perl -e "print
qq(@INC)"".) For the remainder of this document, we'll assume that you really honestly truly lack an installed module, but have found it on the CPAN. So now you have a file ending in .tar.gz (or, less often, .zip). You know there's a tasty module inside. There are four steps you must now take: DDEECCOOMMPPRREESSSS the file UUNNPPAACCKK the file into a directory BBUUIILLDD the module (sometimes unnecessary) IINNSSTTAALLLL the module. Here's how to perform each step for each operating system. This isa substitute for reading the README and INSTALL files that might have come with your module! Also note that these instructions are tailored for installing the mod-
ule into your system's repository of Perl modules - but you can
install modules into any directory you wish. For instance, where I say"perl Makefile.PL", you can substitute "perl Makefile.PL PRE-
FIX=/my/perldirectory" to install the modules into "/my/perldirec-
tory". Then you can use the modules from your Perl programs with "use lib "/my/perldirectory/lib/siteperl";" or sometimes just "use"/my/perldirectory";". If you're on a system that requires supe-
ruser/root access to install modules into the directories you see whenyou type "perl -e "print qq(@INC)"", you'll want to install them into a
local directory (such as your home directory) and use this approach. +o IIff yyoouu''rree oonn aa UUnniixx oorr LLiinnuuxx ssyysstteemm,,You can use Andreas Koenig's CPAN module ( http://www.cpan.org/mod-
ules/by-module/CPAN ) to automate the following steps, from DECOM-
PRESS through INSTALL. A. DECOMPRESSDecompress the file with "gzip -d yourmodule.tar.gz"
You can get gzip from ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/ Or, you can combine this step with the next to save disk space:gzip -dc yourmodule.tar.gz | tar -xof -
B. UNPACKUnpack the result with "tar -xof yourmodule.tar"
C. BUILDGo into the newly-created directory and type:
perl Makefile.PL make test or perl Makefile.PL PREFIX=/my/perldirectory to install it locally. (Remember that if you do this, you'll have to put "use lib "/my/perldirectory";" near the top of the program that is to use this module. D. INSTALL While still in that directory, type: make installMake sure you have the appropriate permissions to install the mod-
ule in your Perl 5 library directory. Often, you'll need to be root. That's all you need to do on Unix systems with dynamic linking.Most Unix systems have dynamic linking - if yours doesn't, or if
for another reason you have a statically-linked perl, aanndd the mod-
ule requires compilation, you'll need to build a new Perl binary that includes the module. Again, you'll probably need to be root. +o IIff yyoouu''rree rruunnnniinngg AAccttiivveePPeerrll ((WWiinn9955//9988//22KK//NNTT//XXPP,, LLiinnuuxx,, SSoollaarriiss)) First, type "ppm" from a shell and see whether ActiveState's PPM repository has your module. If so, you can install it with "ppm" and you won't have to bother with any of the other steps here. You might be able to use the CPAN instructions from the "Unix or Linux" section above as well; give it a try. Otherwise, you'll have to follow the steps below. A. DECOMPRESS You can use the shareware Winzip ( http://www.winzip.com ) to decompress and unpack modules. B. UNPACK If you used WinZip, this was already done for you. C. BUILDYou'll need the "nmake" utility, available at http://down-
load.microsoft.com/download/vc15/Patch/1.52/W95/EN-US/nmake15.exe
or dmake, available on CPAN. http://search.cpan.org/dist/dmake/ Does the module require compilation (i.e. does it have files that end in .xs, .c, .h, .y, .cc, .cxx, or .C)? If it does, life is now officially tough for you, because you have to compile the moduleyourself - no easy feat on Windows. You'll need a compiler such
as Visual C++. Alternatively, you can download a pre-built PPM
package from ActiveState. http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Down-
loads/ActivePerl/PPM/Go into the newly-created directory and type:
perl Makefile.PL nmake test D. INSTALL While still in that directory, type: nmake install +o IIff yyoouu''rree uussiinngg aa MMaacciinnttoosshh,, A. DECOMPRESSFirst, make sure you have the latest ccppaann-mmaacc distribution (
http://www.cpan.org/authors/id/CNANDOR/ ), which has utilities fordoing all of the steps. Read the cpan-mac directions carefully and
install it. If you choose not to use cpan-mac for some reason,
there are alternatives listed here.After installing cpan-mac, drop the module archive on the
uunnttaarrzziippmmee droplet, which will decompress and unpack for you. OOrr, you can either use the shareware SSttuuffffIItt EExxppaannddeerr program ( http://www.aladdinsys.com/expander/ ) in combination with DDrrooppSSttuuffff wwiitthh EExxppaannddeerr EEnnhhaanncceerr ( http://www.aladdinsys.com/dropstuff/ ) orthe freeware MMaaccGGzziipp program ( http://persephone.cps.unizar.es/gen-
eral/gente/spd/gzip/gzip.html ). B. UNPACK If you're using untarzipme or StuffIt, the archive should be extracted now. OOrr, you can use the freeware ssuunnttaarr or Tar ( http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive/Archive/cmp/ ). C. BUILDCheck the contents of the distribution. Read the module's documen-
tation, looking for reasons why you might have trouble using it with MacPerl. Look for .xs and .c files, which normally denote that the distribution must be compiled, and you cannot install it "out of the box." (See "PORTABILITY".) If a module does not work on MacPerl but should, or needs to be compiled, see if the module exists already as a port on the MacPerlModule Porters site ( http://pudge.net/mmp/ ). For more informa-
tion on doing XS with MacPerl yourself, see Arved Sandstrom's XS tutorial ( http://macperl.com/depts/Tutorials/ ), and then consider uploading your binary to the CPAN and registering it on the MMP site. D. INSTALLIf you are using cpan-mac, just drop the folder on the iinnssttaallllmmee
droplet, and use the module.OOrr, if you aren't using cpan-mac, do some manual labor.
Make sure the newlines for the modules are in Mac format, not Unix format. If they are not then you might have decompressed themincorrectly. Check your decompression and unpacking utilities set-
tings to make sure they are translating text files properly.As a last resort, you can use the perl one-liner:
perl -i.bak -pe 's/(?:\015)?\012/\015/g'
on the source files. Then move the files (probably just the .pm files, though there may be some additional ones, too; check the module documentation) to their final destination: This will most likely be in"$ENV{MACPERL}sitelib:" (i.e., "HD:MacPerl folder:sitelib:").
You can add new paths to the default @INC in the Preferences menuitem in the MacPerl application ("$ENV{MACPERL}sitelib:" is added
automagically). Create whatever directory structures are required(i.e., for "Some::Module", create "$ENV{MACPERL}sitelib:Some:" and
put "Module.pm" in that directory). Then run the following script (or something like it):#!perl -w
use AutoSplit;my $dir = "${MACPERL}siteperl";
autosplit("$dir:Some:Module.pm", "$dir:auto", 0, 1, 1);
+o IIff yyoouu''rree oonn tthhee DDJJGGPPPP ppoorrtt ooff DDOOSS,, A. DECOMPRESS djtarx ( ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp/v2/ ) will both uncompress and unpack. B. UNPACK See above. C. BUILDGo into the newly-created directory and type:
perl Makefile.PL make testYou will need the packages mentioned in README.dos in the Perl dis-
tribution. D. INSTALL While still in that directory, type: make installYou will need the packages mentioned in README.dos in the Perl dis-
tribution. +o IIff yyoouu''rree oonn OOSS//22,, Get the EMX development suite and gzip/tar, from either Hobbes ( http://hobbes.nmsu.edu ) or Leo ( http://www.leo.org ), and then follow the instructions for Unix. +o IIff yyoouu''rree oonn VVMMSS,, When downloading from CPAN, save your file with a ".tgz" extension instead of ".tar.gz". All other periods in the filename should bereplaced with underscores. For example, "Your-Module-1.33.tar.gz"
should be downloaded as "Your-Module-133.tgz".
A. DECOMPRESS Typegzip -d Your-Module.tgz
or, for zipped modules, typeunzip Your-Module.zip
Executables for gzip, zip, and VMStar: http://www.openvms.digital.com/freeware/ http://www.crinoid.com/utils/ and their source code: http://www.fsf.org/order/ftp.htmlNote that GNU's gzip/gunzip is not the same as Info-ZIP's zip/unzip
package. The former is a simple compression tool; the latter per-
mits creation of multi-file archives.
B. UNPACK If you're using VMStar:VMStar xf Your-Module.tar
Or, if you're fond of VMS command syntax: tar/extract/verbose YourModule.tar C. BUILDMake sure you have MMS (from Digital) or the freeware MMK ( avail-
able from MadGoat at http://www.madgoat.com ). Then type this to create the DESCRIP.MMS for the module: perl Makefile.PL Now you're ready to build: mms test Substitute "mmk" for "mms" above if you're using MMK. D. INSTALL Type mms install Substitute "mmk" for "mms" above if you're using MMK. +o IIff yyoouu''rree oonn MMVVSS, Introduce the .tar.gz file into an HFS as binary; don't translate from ASCII to EBCDIC. A. DECOMPRESSDecompress the file with "gzip -d yourmodule.tar.gz"
You can get gzip from http://www.s390.ibm.com/prod-
ucts/oe/bpxqp1.html B. UNPACK Unpack the result withpax -o to=IBM-1047,from=ISO8859-1 -r < yourmodule.tar
The BUILD and INSTALL steps are identical to those for Unix. Some modules generate Makefiles that work better with GNU make, which is available from http://www.mks.com/s390/gnu/ PPOORRTTAABBIILLIITTYYNote that not all modules will work with on all platforms. See perl-
port for more information on portability issues. Read the documenta-
tion to see if the module will work on your system. There are basi-
cally three categories of modules that will not work "out of the box" with all platforms (with some possibility of overlap): +o TThhoossee tthhaatt sshhoouulldd,, bbuutt ddoonn''tt.. These need to be fixed; consider contacting the author and possibly writing a patch. +o TThhoossee tthhaatt nneeeedd ttoo bbee ccoommppiilleedd,, wwhheerree tthhee ttaarrggeett ppllaattffoorrmm ddooeessnn''tt hhaavvee ccoommppiilleerrss rreeaaddiillyy aavvaaiillaabbllee.. (These modules contain .xs or .c files, usually.) You might be able to find existing binaries on the CPAN or elsewhere, or you might want to try getting compilers and building it yourself, and then release the binary for other poor souls to use. +o TThhoossee tthhaatt aarree ttaarrggeetteedd aatt aa ssppeecciiffiicc ppllaattffoorrmm.. (Such as the Win32:: modules.) If the module is targeted specifically at a platform other than yours, you're out of luck, most likely. Check the CPAN Testers if a module should work with your platform but it doesn't behave as you'd expect, or you aren't sure whether or not a module will work under your platform. If the module you want isn't listed there, you can test it yourself and let CPAN Testers know, you can join CPAN Testers, or you can request it be tested. http://testers.cpan.org/ HHEEYY If you have any suggested changes for this page, let me know. Please don't send me mail asking for help on how to install your modules. There are too many modules, and too few Orwants, for me to be able to answer or even acknowledge all your questions. Contact the module author instead, or post to comp.lang.perl.modules, or ask someone familiar with Perl on your operating system. AUTHOR Jon Orwant orwant@medita.mit.edu with invaluable help from Chris Nandor, and valuable help from Brandon Allbery, Charles Bailey, Graham Barr, Dominic Dunlop, JarkkoHietaniemi, Ben Holzman, Tom Horsley, Nick Ing-Simmons, Tuomas J.
Lukka, Laszlo Molnar, Alan Olsen, Peter Prymmer, Gurusamy Sarathy, Christoph Spalinger, Dan Sugalski, Larry Virden, and Ilya Zakharevich. First version July 22, 1998; last revised November 21, 2001. COPYRIGHT Copyright (C) 1998, 2002, 2003 Jon Orwant. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this documentation provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this documentation under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that they are marked clearly as modified versions, that the authors' names and title are unchanged (though subtitles and additional authors'names may be added), and that the entire resulting derived work is dis-
tributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one.Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this docu-
mentation into another language, under the above conditions for modi-
fied versions.perl v5.8.6 2004-11-05 PERLMODINSTALL(1)