- NAME
- THE PERL MODULE LIBRARY
  - Pragmatic Modules
  - Standard Modules
  - Extension Modules
- CPAN
  - Africa
  - Asia
  - Central America
  - Europe
  - North America
  - Oceania
  - South America
  - RSYNC Mirrors
- Modules: Creation, Use, and Abuse
  - Guidelines for Module Creation
  - Guidelines for Converting Perl 4 Library Scripts into Modules
  - Guidelines for Reusing Application Code
- NOTE

# NAME

perlmodlib - constructing new Perl modules and finding existing ones

# THE PERL MODULE LIBRARY

Many modules are included in the Perl distribution. These are described below, and all end in .pm. You may discover compiled library files (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).

arybase

  Set indexing base via $[

attributes

  Get/set subroutine or variable attributes

autodie

  Replace functions with ones that succeed or die with lexical scope

autodie::exception

  Exceptions from autodying functions.

autodie::exception::system

  Exceptions from autodying system().

autodie::hints

  Provide hints about user subroutines to autodie

autouse

  Postpone load of modules until a function is used

base

  Establish an ISA relationship with base classes at compile time

bigint

  Transparent BigInteger support for Perl

bignum

  Transparent BigNumber support for Perl

bigrat

  Transparent BigNumber/BigRational support for Perl

blib

  Use MakeMaker's uninstalled version of a package

bytes

  Force byte semantics rather than character semantics

charnames

  Access to Unicode character names and named character sequences; also define character names

constant

  Declare constants

deprecate

  Perl pragma for deprecating the core version of a module

diagnostics

  Produce verbose warning diagnostics

encoding

  Allows you to write your script in non-ascii or non-utf8

encoding::warnings

  Warn on implicit encoding conversions

feature

  Enable new features

fields

  Compile-time class fields

filetest

  Control the filetest permission operators

if

  `use` a Perl module if a condition holds

inc::latest

  Use modules bundled in inc/ if they are newer than installed ones

integer

  Use integer arithmetic instead of floating point

less

  Request less of something

lib

  Manipulate @INC at compile time

locale

  Use or avoid POSIX locales for built-in operations

mro

  Method Resolution Order

open

  Set default PerlIO layers for input and output

ops

  Restrict unsafe operations when compiling

overload

  Package for overloading Perl operations

overloading

  Lexically control overloading

parent

  Establish an ISA relationship with base classes at compile time

perldoc

  Look up Perl documentation in Pod format.

perlfaq

  Frequently asked questions about Perl

perlfaq1

  General Questions About Perl

perlfaq2

  Obtaining and Learning about Perl

perlfaq3

  Programming Tools

perlfaq4

  Data Manipulation

perlfaq5

  Files and Formats

perlfaq6

  Regular Expressions

perlfaq7

  General Perl Language Issues

perlfaq8

  System Interaction

perlfaq9

  Web, Email and Networking

perlfunc

  Perl builtin functions

perlglossary

  Perl Glossary

perlpodspeccopy

  Plain Old Documentation: format specification and notes

perlvarcopy

  Perl predefined variables

perlxs

  XS language reference manual

perlxstut

  Tutorial for writing XSUBs

perlxstypemap

  Perl XS C/Perl type mapping

re

  Alter regular expression behaviour

sigtrap

  Enable simple signal handling

sort

  Control sort() behaviour

strict

  Restrict unsafe constructs

subs

  Predeclare sub names

threads

  Perl interpreter-based threads

threads::shared

  Perl extension for sharing data structures between threads

utf8

  Enable/disable UTF-8 (or UTF-EBCDIC) in source code

vars

  Predeclare global variable names

version

  Perl extension for Version Objects

vmsish

  Control VMS-specific language features

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.

It's possible that not all modules listed below are installed on your system. For example, the GDBM_File module will not be installed if you don't have the gdbm library.

AnyDBM_File

  Provide framework for multiple DBMs

App::Cpan

  Easily interact with CPAN from the command line

App::Prove

  Implements the `prove` command.

App::Prove::State

  State storage for the `prove` command.

App::Prove::State::Result

  Individual test suite results.

App::Prove::State::Result::Test

  Individual test results.

Archive::Extract

  A generic archive extracting mechanism

Archive::Tar

  Module for manipulations of tar archives

Archive::Tar::File

  A subclass for in-memory extracted file from Archive::Tar

Attribute::Handlers

  Simpler definition of attribute handlers

AutoLoader

  Load subroutines only on demand

AutoSplit

  Split a package for autoloading

B

  The Perl Compiler 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::Lint

  Perl lint

B::Lint::Debug

  Adds debugging stringification to B::

B::Showlex

  Show lexical variables used in functions or files

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

`Socket`

  Networking constants and support functions

CGI

  Handle Common Gateway Interface requests and responses

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 HTTP 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

CORE

  Namespace for Perl's core routines

CPAN

  Query, download and build perl modules from CPAN sites

CPAN::API::HOWTO

  A recipe book for programming with CPAN.pm

CPAN::Debug

  Internal debugging for CPAN.pm

CPAN::Distroprefs

  Read and match distroprefs

CPAN::FirstTime

  Utility for CPAN::Config file Initialization

CPAN::HandleConfig

  Internal configuration handling for CPAN.pm

CPAN::Kwalify

  Interface between CPAN.pm and Kwalify.pm

CPAN::Meta

  The distribution metadata for a CPAN dist

CPAN::Meta::Converter

  Convert CPAN distribution metadata structures

CPAN::Meta::Feature

  An optional feature provided by a CPAN distribution

CPAN::Meta::History

  History of CPAN Meta Spec changes

CPAN::Meta::Prereqs

  A set of distribution prerequisites by phase and type

CPAN::Meta::Requirements

  A set of version requirements for a CPAN dist

CPAN::Meta::Spec

  Specification for CPAN distribution metadata

CPAN::Meta::Validator

  Validate CPAN distribution metadata structures

CPAN::Meta::YAML

  Read and write a subset of YAML for CPAN Meta files

CPAN::Nox

  Wrapper around CPAN.pm without using any XS module

CPAN::Queue

  Internal queue support for CPAN.pm

CPAN::Tarzip

  Internal handling of tar archives for CPAN.pm

CPAN::Version

  Utility functions to compare CPAN versions

CPANPLUS

  API & CLI access to the CPAN mirrors

CPANPLUS::Backend

  Programmer's interface to CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Backend::RV

  Return value objects

CPANPLUS::Config

  Configuration defaults and heuristics for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Config::HomeEnv

  Set the environment for the CPANPLUS base dir

CPANPLUS::Configure

  Configuration for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Dist

  Base class for plugins

CPANPLUS::Dist::Autobundle

  Distribution class for installation snapshots

CPANPLUS::Dist::Base

  Base class for custom distribution classes

CPANPLUS::Dist::Build

  CPANPLUS plugin to install packages that use Build.PL

CPANPLUS::Dist::Build::Constants

  Constants for CPANPLUS::Dist::Build

CPANPLUS::Dist::MM

  Distribution class for MakeMaker related modules

CPANPLUS::Dist::Sample

  Sample code to create your own Dist::* plugin

CPANPLUS::Error

  Error handling for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::FAQ

  CPANPLUS Frequently Asked Questions

CPANPLUS::Hacking

  Developing CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Internals

  CPANPLUS internals

CPANPLUS::Internals::Extract

  Internals for archive extraction

CPANPLUS::Internals::Fetch

  Internals for fetching files

CPANPLUS::Internals::Report

  Internals for sending test reports

CPANPLUS::Internals::Search

  Internals for searching for modules

CPANPLUS::Internals::Source

  Internals for updating source files

CPANPLUS::Internals::Source::Memory

  In memory implementation

CPANPLUS::Internals::Source::SQLite

  SQLite implementation

CPANPLUS::Internals::Utils

  Convenience functions for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Module

  CPAN module objects for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Module::Author

  CPAN author object for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Module::Author::Fake

  Dummy author object for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Module::Checksums

  Checking the checksum of a distribution

CPANPLUS::Module::Fake

  Fake module object for internal use

CPANPLUS::Selfupdate

  Self-updating for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Shell

  Base class for CPANPLUS shells

CPANPLUS::Shell::Classic

  CPAN.pm emulation for CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Shell::Default

  The default CPANPLUS shell

CPANPLUS::Shell::Default::Plugins::CustomSource

  Add custom sources to CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Shell::Default::Plugins::HOWTO

  Documentation on how to write your own plugins

CPANPLUS::Shell::Default::Plugins::Remote

  Connect to a remote CPANPLUS

CPANPLUS::Shell::Default::Plugins::Source

  Read in CPANPLUS commands

Carp

  Alternative warn and die for modules

Class::Struct

  Declare struct-like datatypes as Perl classes

Compress::Raw::Bzip2

  Low-Level Interface to bzip2 compression library

Compress::Raw::Zlib

  Low-Level Interface to zlib compression library

Compress::Zlib

  Interface to zlib compression library

Config

  Access Perl configuration information

Config::Perl::V

  Structured data retrieval of perl -V output

Cwd

  Get pathname of current working directory

DB

  Programmatic interface to the Perl debugging API

DBM_Filter

  Filter DBM keys/values

DBM_Filter::compress

  Filter for DBM_Filter

DBM_Filter::encode

  Filter for DBM_Filter

DBM_Filter::int32

  Filter for DBM_Filter

DBM_Filter::null

  Filter for DBM_Filter

DBM_Filter::utf8

  Filter for DBM_Filter

DB_File

  Perl5 access to Berkeley DB version 1.x

Data::Dumper

  Stringified perl data structures, suitable for both printing and `eval`

Devel::InnerPackage

  Find all the inner packages of a package

Devel::PPPort

  Perl/Pollution/Portability

Devel::Peek

  A data debugging tool for the XS programmer

Devel::SelfStubber

  Generate stubs for a SelfLoading module

Digest

  Modules that calculate message digests

Digest::MD5

  Perl interface to the MD5 Algorithm

Digest::SHA

  Perl extension for SHA-1/224/256/384/512

Digest::base

  Digest base class

Digest::file

  Calculate digests of files

DirHandle

  Supply object methods for directory handles

Dumpvalue

  Provides screen dump of Perl data.

DynaLoader

  Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code

Encode

  Character encodings in Perl

Encode::Alias

  Alias definitions to encodings

Encode::Byte

  Single Byte Encodings

Encode::CJKConstants

  Internally used by Encode::??::ISO_2022_*

Encode::CN

  China-based Chinese Encodings

Encode::CN::HZ

  Internally used by Encode::CN

Encode::Config

  Internally used by Encode

Encode::EBCDIC

  EBCDIC Encodings

Encode::Encoder

  Object Oriented Encoder

Encode::Encoding

  Encode Implementation Base Class

Encode::GSM0338

  ESTI GSM 03.38 Encoding

Encode::Guess

  Guesses encoding from data

Encode::JP

  Japanese Encodings

Encode::JP::H2Z

  Internally used by Encode::JP::2022_JP*

Encode::JP::JIS7

  Internally used by Encode::JP

Encode::KR

  Korean Encodings

Encode::KR::2022_KR

  Internally used by Encode::KR

Encode::MIME::Header

  MIME 'B' and 'Q' header encoding

Encode::MIME::Name

  Internally used by Encode

Encode::PerlIO

  A detailed document on Encode and PerlIO

Encode::Supported

  Encodings supported by Encode

Encode::Symbol

  Symbol Encodings

Encode::TW

  Taiwan-based Chinese Encodings

Encode::Unicode

  Various Unicode Transformation Formats

Encode::Unicode::UTF7

  UTF-7 encoding

English

  Use nice English (or awk) names for ugly punctuation variables

Env

  Perl module that imports environment variables as scalars or arrays

Errno

  System errno constants

Exporter

  Implements default import method for modules

Exporter::Heavy

  Exporter guts

ExtUtils::CBuilder

  Compile and link C code for Perl modules

ExtUtils::CBuilder::Platform::Windows

  Builder class for Windows platforms

ExtUtils::Command

  Utilities to replace common UNIX commands in Makefiles etc.

ExtUtils::Command::MM

  Commands for the MM's to use in Makefiles

ExtUtils::Constant

  Generate XS code to import C header constants

ExtUtils::Constant::Base

  Base class for ExtUtils::Constant objects

ExtUtils::Constant::Utils

  Helper functions for ExtUtils::Constant

ExtUtils::Constant::XS

  Generate C code for XS modules' constants.

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

  OS adjusted ExtUtils::MakeMaker subclass

ExtUtils::MM_AIX

  AIX specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix

ExtUtils::MM_Any

  Platform-agnostic MM methods

ExtUtils::MM_BeOS

  Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_Cygwin

  Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_DOS

  DOS specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix

ExtUtils::MM_Darwin

  Special behaviors for OS X

ExtUtils::MM_MacOS

  Once produced Makefiles for MacOS Classic

ExtUtils::MM_NW5

  Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_OS2

  Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_QNX

  QNX specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix

ExtUtils::MM_UWIN

  U/WIN specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix

ExtUtils::MM_Unix

  Methods used by ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_VMS

  Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_VOS

  VOS specific subclass of ExtUtils::MM_Unix

ExtUtils::MM_Win32

  Methods to override UN*X behaviour in ExtUtils::MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MM_Win95

  Method to customize MakeMaker for Win9X

ExtUtils::MY

  ExtUtils::MakeMaker subclass for customization

ExtUtils::MakeMaker

  Create a module Makefile

ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Config

  Wrapper around Config.pm

ExtUtils::MakeMaker::FAQ

  Frequently Asked Questions About MakeMaker

ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Tutorial

  Writing a module with MakeMaker

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::ParseXS

  Converts Perl XS code into C code

ExtUtils::ParseXS::Constants

  Initialization values for some globals

ExtUtils::ParseXS::Utilities

  Subroutines used with ExtUtils::ParseXS

ExtUtils::Typemaps

  Read/Write/Modify Perl/XS typemap files

ExtUtils::Typemaps::Cmd

  Quick commands for handling typemaps

ExtUtils::Typemaps::InputMap

  Entry in the INPUT section of a typemap

ExtUtils::Typemaps::OutputMap

  Entry in the OUTPUT section of a typemap

ExtUtils::Typemaps::Type

  Entry in the TYPEMAP section of a typemap

ExtUtils::XSSymSet

  Keep sets of symbol names palatable to the VMS linker

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

  Parse file paths into directory, filename and suffix.

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::Fetch

  A generic file fetching mechanism

File::Find

  Traverse a directory tree.

File::Glob

  Perl extension for BSD glob routine

File::GlobMapper

  Extend File Glob to Allow Input and Output Files

File::Path

  Create or remove directory trees

File::Spec

  Portably perform operations on file names

File::Spec::Cygwin

  Methods for Cygwin file specs

File::Spec::Epoc

  Methods for Epoc file specs

File::Spec::Functions

  Portably perform operations on file names

File::Spec::Mac

  File::Spec for Mac OS (Classic)

File::Spec::OS2

  Methods for OS/2 file specs

File::Spec::Unix

  File::Spec for Unix, base for other File::Spec modules

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

Filter::Simple

  Simplified source filtering

Filter::Util::Call

  Perl Source Filter Utility Module

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

HTTP::Tiny

  A small, simple, correct HTTP/1.1 client

Hash::Util

  A selection of general-utility hash subroutines

Hash::Util::FieldHash

  Support for Inside-Out Classes

I18N::Collate

  Compare 8-bit scalar data according to the current locale

I18N::LangTags

  Functions for dealing with RFC3066-style language tags

I18N::LangTags::Detect

  Detect the user's language preferences

I18N::LangTags::List

  Tags and names for human languages

I18N::Langinfo

  Query locale information

IO

  Load various IO modules

IO::Compress::Base

  Base Class for IO::Compress modules

IO::Compress::Bzip2

  Write bzip2 files/buffers

IO::Compress::Deflate

  Write RFC 1950 files/buffers

IO::Compress::FAQ

  Frequently Asked Questions about IO::Compress

IO::Compress::Gzip

  Write RFC 1952 files/buffers

IO::Compress::RawDeflate

  Write RFC 1951 files/buffers

IO::Compress::Zip

  Write zip files/buffers

IO::Dir

  Supply object methods for directory handles

IO::File

  Supply object methods for filehandles

IO::Handle

  Supply object methods for I/O handles

IO::Pipe

  Supply object methods for pipes

IO::Poll

  Object interface to system poll call

IO::Seekable

  Supply seek based methods for I/O objects

IO::Select

  OO interface to the select system call

IO::Socket

  Object interface to socket communications

IO::Socket::INET

  Object interface for AF_INET domain sockets

IO::Socket::UNIX

  Object interface for AF_UNIX domain sockets

IO::Uncompress::AnyInflate

  Uncompress zlib-based (zip, gzip) file/buffer

IO::Uncompress::AnyUncompress

  Uncompress gzip, zip, bzip2 or lzop file/buffer

IO::Uncompress::Base

  Base Class for IO::Uncompress modules

IO::Uncompress::Bunzip2

  Read bzip2 files/buffers

IO::Uncompress::Gunzip

  Read RFC 1952 files/buffers

IO::Uncompress::Inflate

  Read RFC 1950 files/buffers

IO::Uncompress::RawInflate

  Read RFC 1951 files/buffers

IO::Uncompress::Unzip

  Read zip files/buffers

IO::Zlib

  IO:: style interface to Compress::Zlib

IPC::Cmd

  Finding and running system commands made easy

IPC::Msg

  SysV Msg IPC object class

IPC::Open2

  Open a process for both reading and writing using open2()

IPC::Open3

  Open a process for reading, writing, and error handling using open3()

IPC::Semaphore

  SysV Semaphore IPC object class

IPC::SharedMem

  SysV Shared Memory IPC object class

IPC::SysV

  System V IPC constants and system calls

JSON::PP

  JSON::XS compatible pure-Perl module.

JSON::PP::Boolean

  Dummy module providing JSON::PP::Boolean

List::Util

  A selection of general-utility list subroutines

List::Util::XS

  Indicate if List::Util was compiled with a C compiler

Locale::Codes

  A distribution of modules to handle locale codes

Locale::Codes::API

  A description of the callable function in each module

Locale::Codes::Changes

  Details changes to Locale::Codes

Locale::Codes::Constants

  Constants for Locale codes

Locale::Codes::Country

  Standard codes for country identification

Locale::Codes::Country_Codes

  Country codes for the Locale::Codes::Country module

Locale::Codes::Country_Retired

  Retired country codes for the Locale::Codes::Country module

Locale::Codes::Currency

  Standard codes for currency identification

Locale::Codes::Currency_Codes

  Currency codes for the Locale::Codes::Currency module

Locale::Codes::Currency_Retired

  Retired currency codes for the Locale::Codes::Currency module

Locale::Codes::LangExt

  Standard codes for language extension identification

Locale::Codes::LangExt_Codes

  Langext codes for the Locale::Codes::LangExt module

Locale::Codes::LangExt_Retired

  Retired langext codes for the Locale::Codes::LangExt module

Locale::Codes::LangFam

  Standard codes for language extension identification

Locale::Codes::LangFam_Codes

  Langfam codes for the Locale::Codes::LangFam module

Locale::Codes::LangFam_Retired

  Retired langfam codes for the Locale::Codes::LangFam module

Locale::Codes::LangVar

  Standard codes for language variation identification

Locale::Codes::LangVar_Codes

  Langvar codes for the Locale::Codes::LangVar module

Locale::Codes::LangVar_Retired

  Retired langvar codes for the Locale::Codes::LangVar module

Locale::Codes::Language

  Standard codes for language identification

Locale::Codes::Language_Codes

  Language codes for the Locale::Codes::Language module

Locale::Codes::Language_Retired

  Retired language codes for the Locale::Codes::Language module

Locale::Codes::Script

  Standard codes for script identification

Locale::Codes::Script_Codes

  Script codes for the Locale::Codes::Script module

Locale::Codes::Script_Retired

  Retired script codes for the Locale::Codes::Script module

Locale::Country

  Standard codes for country identification

Locale::Currency

  Standard codes for currency identification

Locale::Language

  Standard codes for language identification

Locale::Maketext

  Framework for localization

Locale::Maketext::Cookbook

  Recipes for using Locale::Maketext

Locale::Maketext::Guts

  Deprecated module to load Locale::Maketext utf8 code

Locale::Maketext::GutsLoader

  Deprecated module to load Locale::Maketext utf8 code

Locale::Maketext::Simple

  Simple interface to Locale::Maketext::Lexicon

Locale::Maketext::TPJ13

  Article about software localization

Locale::Script

  Standard codes for script identification

Log::Message

  A generic message storing mechanism;

Log::Message::Config

  Configuration options for Log::Message

Log::Message::Handlers

  Message handlers for Log::Message

Log::Message::Item

  Message objects for Log::Message

Log::Message::Simple

  Simplified interface to Log::Message

MIME::Base64

  Encoding and decoding of base64 strings

MIME::QuotedPrint

  Encoding and decoding of quoted-printable strings

Math::BigFloat

  Arbitrary size floating point math package

Math::BigInt

  Arbitrary size integer/float math package

Math::BigInt::Calc

  Pure Perl module to support Math::BigInt

Math::BigInt::CalcEmu

  Emulate low-level math with BigInt code

Math::BigInt::FastCalc

  Math::BigInt::Calc with some XS for more speed

Math::BigRat

  Arbitrary big rational numbers

Math::Complex

  Complex numbers and associated mathematical functions

Math::Trig

  Trigonometric functions

Memoize

  Make functions faster by trading space for time

Memoize::AnyDBM_File

  Glue to provide EXISTS for AnyDBM_File for Storable use

Memoize::Expire

  Plug-in module for automatic expiration of memoized values

Memoize::ExpireFile

  Test for Memoize expiration semantics

Memoize::ExpireTest

  Test for Memoize expiration semantics

Memoize::NDBM_File

  Glue to provide EXISTS for NDBM_File for Storable use

Memoize::SDBM_File

  Glue to provide EXISTS for SDBM_File for Storable use

Memoize::Storable

  Store Memoized data in Storable database

Module::Build

  Build and install Perl modules

Module::Build::API

  API Reference for Module Authors

Module::Build::Authoring

  Authoring Module::Build modules

Module::Build::Base

  Default methods for Module::Build

Module::Build::Bundling

  How to bundle Module::Build with a distribution

Module::Build::Compat

  Compatibility with ExtUtils::MakeMaker

Module::Build::ConfigData

  Configuration for Module::Build

Module::Build::Cookbook

  Examples of Module::Build Usage

Module::Build::ModuleInfo

  DEPRECATED

Module::Build::Notes

  Create persistent distribution configuration modules

Module::Build::PPMMaker

  Perl Package Manager file creation

Module::Build::Platform::Amiga

  Builder class for Amiga platforms

Module::Build::Platform::Default

  Stub class for unknown platforms

Module::Build::Platform::EBCDIC

  Builder class for EBCDIC platforms

Module::Build::Platform::MPEiX

  Builder class for MPEiX platforms

Module::Build::Platform::MacOS

  Builder class for MacOS platforms

Module::Build::Platform::RiscOS

  Builder class for RiscOS platforms

Module::Build::Platform::Unix

  Builder class for Unix platforms

Module::Build::Platform::VMS

  Builder class for VMS platforms

Module::Build::Platform::VOS

  Builder class for VOS platforms

Module::Build::Platform::Windows

  Builder class for Windows platforms

Module::Build::Platform::aix

  Builder class for AIX platform

Module::Build::Platform::cygwin

  Builder class for Cygwin platform

Module::Build::Platform::darwin

  Builder class for Mac OS X platform

Module::Build::Platform::os2

  Builder class for OS/2 platform

Module::Build::Version

  DEPRECATED

Module::Build::YAML

  DEPRECATED

Module::CoreList

  What modules shipped with versions of perl

Module::Load

  Runtime require of both modules and files

Module::Load::Conditional

  Looking up module information / loading at runtime

Module::Loaded

  Mark modules as loaded or unloaded

Module::Metadata

  Gather package and POD information from perl module files

Module::Pluggable

  Automatically give your module the ability to have plugins

Module::Pluggable::Object

  Automatically give your module the ability to have plugins

NDBM_File

  Tied access to ndbm files

NEXT

  Provide a pseudo-class NEXT (et al) that allows method redispatch

Net::Cmd

  Network Command class (as used by FTP, SMTP etc)

Net::Config

  Local configuration data for libnet

Net::Domain

  Attempt to evaluate the current host's internet name and domain

Net::FTP

  FTP Client class

Net::NNTP

  NNTP Client class

Net::Netrc

  OO interface to users netrc file

Net::POP3

  Post Office Protocol 3 Client class (RFC1939)

Net::Ping

  Check a remote host for reachability

Net::SMTP

  Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Client

Net::Time

  Time and daytime network client interface

Net::hostent

  By-name interface to Perl's built-in gethost*() functions

Net::libnetFAQ

  Libnet Frequently Asked Questions

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

ODBM_File

  Tied access to odbm files

Object::Accessor

  Interface to create per object accessors

Opcode

  Disable named opcodes when compiling perl code

POSIX

  Perl interface to IEEE Std 1003.1

Package::Constants

  List all constants declared in a package

Params::Check

  A generic input parsing/checking mechanism.

Parse::CPAN::Meta

  Parse META.yml and META.json CPAN metadata files

Perl::OSType

  Map Perl operating system names to generic types

PerlIO

  On demand loader for PerlIO layers and root of PerlIO::* name space

PerlIO::encoding

  Encoding layer

PerlIO::mmap

  Memory mapped IO

PerlIO::scalar

  In-memory IO, scalar IO

PerlIO::via

  Helper class for PerlIO layers implemented in perl

PerlIO::via::QuotedPrint

  PerlIO layer for quoted-printable strings

Pod::Checker

  Check pod documents for syntax errors

Pod::Escapes

  For resolving Pod E<...> sequences

Pod::Find

  Find POD documents in directory trees

Pod::Functions

  Group Perl's functions a la perlfunc.pod

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::ParseLink

  Parse an L<> formatting code in POD text

Pod::ParseUtils

  Helpers for POD parsing and conversion

Pod::Parser

  Base class for creating POD filters and translators

Pod::Perldoc

  Look up Perl documentation in Pod format.

Pod::Perldoc::BaseTo

  Base for Pod::Perldoc formatters

Pod::Perldoc::GetOptsOO

  Customized option parser for Pod::Perldoc

Pod::Perldoc::ToANSI

  Render Pod with ANSI color escapes

Pod::Perldoc::ToChecker

  Let Perldoc check Pod for errors

Pod::Perldoc::ToMan

  Let Perldoc render Pod as man pages

Pod::Perldoc::ToNroff

  Let Perldoc convert Pod to nroff

Pod::Perldoc::ToPod

  Let Perldoc render Pod as ... Pod!

Pod::Perldoc::ToRtf

  Let Perldoc render Pod as RTF

Pod::Perldoc::ToTerm

  Render Pod with terminal escapes

Pod::Perldoc::ToText

  Let Perldoc render Pod as plaintext

Pod::Perldoc::ToTk

  Let Perldoc use Tk::Pod to render Pod

Pod::Perldoc::ToXml

  Let Perldoc render Pod as XML

Pod::PlainText

  Convert POD data to formatted ASCII text

Pod::Select

  Extract selected sections of POD from input

Pod::Simple

  Framework for parsing Pod

Pod::Simple::Checker

  Check the Pod syntax of a document

Pod::Simple::Debug

  Put Pod::Simple into trace/debug mode

Pod::Simple::DumpAsText

  Dump Pod-parsing events as text

Pod::Simple::DumpAsXML

  Turn Pod into XML

Pod::Simple::HTML

  Convert Pod to HTML

Pod::Simple::HTMLBatch

  Convert several Pod files to several HTML files

Pod::Simple::LinkSection

  Represent "section" attributes of L codes

Pod::Simple::Methody

  Turn Pod::Simple events into method calls

Pod::Simple::PullParser

  A pull-parser interface to parsing Pod

Pod::Simple::PullParserEndToken

  End-tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser

Pod::Simple::PullParserStartToken

  Start-tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser

Pod::Simple::PullParserTextToken

  Text-tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser

Pod::Simple::PullParserToken

  Tokens from Pod::Simple::PullParser

Pod::Simple::RTF

  Format Pod as RTF

Pod::Simple::Search

  Find POD documents in directory trees

Pod::Simple::SimpleTree

  Parse Pod into a simple parse tree

Pod::Simple::Subclassing

  Write a formatter as a Pod::Simple subclass

Pod::Simple::Text

  Format Pod as plaintext

Pod::Simple::TextContent

  Get the text content of Pod

Pod::Simple::XHTML

  Format Pod as validating XHTML

Pod::Simple::XMLOutStream

  Turn Pod into XML

Pod::Text

  Convert POD data to formatted ASCII text

Pod::Text::Color

  Convert POD data to formatted color ASCII 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

Scalar::Util

  A selection of general-utility scalar subroutines

Search::Dict

  Look - search for key in dictionary file

SelectSaver

  Save and restore selected file handle

SelfLoader

  Load functions only on demand

Storable

  Persistence for Perl data structures

Symbol

  Manipulate Perl symbols and their names

Sys::Hostname

  Try every conceivable way to get hostname

Sys::Syslog

  Perl interface to the UNIX syslog(3) calls

Sys::Syslog::Win32

  Win32 support for Sys::Syslog

TAP::Base

  Base class that provides common functionality to TAP::Parser

TAP::Formatter::Base

  Base class for harness output delegates

TAP::Formatter::Color

  Run Perl test scripts with color

TAP::Formatter::Console

  Harness output delegate for default console output

TAP::Formatter::Console::ParallelSession

  Harness output delegate for parallel console output

TAP::Formatter::Console::Session

  Harness output delegate for default console output

TAP::Formatter::File

  Harness output delegate for file output

TAP::Formatter::File::Session

  Harness output delegate for file output

TAP::Formatter::Session

  Abstract base class for harness output delegate

TAP::Harness

  Run test scripts with statistics

TAP::Object

  Base class that provides common functionality to all `TAP::*` modules

TAP::Parser

  Parse TAP output

TAP::Parser::Aggregator

  Aggregate TAP::Parser results

TAP::Parser::Grammar

  A grammar for the Test Anything Protocol.

TAP::Parser::Iterator

  Base class for TAP source iterators

TAP::Parser::Iterator::Array

  Iterator for array-based TAP sources

TAP::Parser::Iterator::Process

  Iterator for process-based TAP sources

TAP::Parser::Iterator::Stream

  Iterator for filehandle-based TAP sources

TAP::Parser::IteratorFactory

  Figures out which SourceHandler objects to use for a given Source

TAP::Parser::Multiplexer

  Multiplex multiple TAP::Parsers

TAP::Parser::Result

  Base class for TAP::Parser output objects

TAP::Parser::Result::Bailout

  Bailout result token.

TAP::Parser::Result::Comment

  Comment result token.

TAP::Parser::Result::Plan

  Plan result token.

TAP::Parser::Result::Pragma

  TAP pragma token.

TAP::Parser::Result::Test

  Test result token.

TAP::Parser::Result::Unknown

  Unknown result token.

TAP::Parser::Result::Version

  TAP syntax version token.

TAP::Parser::Result::YAML

  YAML result token.

TAP::Parser::ResultFactory

  Factory for creating TAP::Parser output objects

TAP::Parser::Scheduler

  Schedule tests during parallel testing

TAP::Parser::Scheduler::Job

  A single testing job.

TAP::Parser::Scheduler::Spinner

  A no-op job.

TAP::Parser::Source

  A TAP source & meta data about it

TAP::Parser::SourceHandler

  Base class for different TAP source handlers

TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::Executable

  Stream output from an executable TAP source

TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::File

  Stream TAP from a text file.

TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::Handle

  Stream TAP from an IO::Handle or a GLOB.

TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::Perl

  Stream TAP from a Perl executable

TAP::Parser::SourceHandler::RawTAP

  Stream output from raw TAP in a scalar/array ref.

TAP::Parser::Utils

  Internal TAP::Parser utilities

TAP::Parser::YAMLish::Reader

  Read YAMLish data from iterator

TAP::Parser::YAMLish::Writer

  Write YAMLish data

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.

Term::UI

  Term::ReadLine UI made easy

Term::UI::History

  History function

Test

  Provides a simple framework for writing test scripts

Test::Builder

  Backend for building test libraries

Test::Builder::Module

  Base class for test modules

Test::Builder::Tester

  Test testsuites that have been built with

Test::Builder::Tester::Color

  Turn on colour in Test::Builder::Tester

Test::Harness

  Run Perl standard test scripts with statistics

Test::More

  Yet another framework for writing test scripts

Test::Simple

  Basic utilities for writing tests.

Test::Tutorial

  A tutorial about writing really basic tests

Text::Abbrev

  Abbrev - create an abbreviation table from a list

Text::Balanced

  Extract delimited text sequences from strings.

Text::ParseWords

  Parse text into an array of tokens or array of arrays

Text::Soundex

  Implementation of the soundex algorithm.

Text::Tabs

  Expand and unexpand tabs like unix expand(1) and unexpand(1)

Text::Wrap

  Line wrapping to form simple paragraphs

Thread

  Manipulate threads in Perl (for old code only)

Thread::Queue

  Thread-safe queues

Thread::Semaphore

  Thread-safe semaphores

Tie::Array

  Base class for tied arrays

Tie::File

  Access the lines of a disk file via a Perl array

Tie::Handle

  Base class definitions for tied handles

Tie::Hash

  Base class definitions for tied hashes

Tie::Hash::NamedCapture

  Named regexp capture buffers

Tie::Memoize

  Add data to hash when needed

Tie::RefHash

  Use references as hash keys

Tie::Scalar

  Base class definitions for tied scalars

Tie::StdHandle

  Base class definitions for tied handles

Tie::SubstrHash

  Fixed-table-size, fixed-key-length hashing

Time::HiRes

  High resolution alarm, sleep, gettimeofday, interval timers

Time::Local

  Efficiently compute time from local and GMT time

Time::Piece

  Object Oriented time objects

Time::Seconds

  A simple API to convert seconds to other date values

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)

Unicode::Collate

  Unicode Collation Algorithm

Unicode::Collate::CJK::Big5

  Weighting CJK Unified Ideographs

Unicode::Collate::CJK::GB2312

  Weighting CJK Unified Ideographs

Unicode::Collate::CJK::JISX0208

  Weighting JIS KANJI for Unicode::Collate

Unicode::Collate::CJK::Korean

  Weighting CJK Unified Ideographs

Unicode::Collate::CJK::Pinyin

  Weighting CJK Unified Ideographs

Unicode::Collate::CJK::Stroke

  Weighting CJK Unified Ideographs

Unicode::Collate::CJK::Zhuyin

  Weighting CJK Unified Ideographs

Unicode::Collate::Locale

  Linguistic tailoring for DUCET via Unicode::Collate

Unicode::Normalize

  Unicode Normalization Forms

Unicode::UCD

  Unicode character database

User::grent

  By-name interface to Perl's built-in getgr*() functions

User::pwent

  By-name interface to Perl's built-in getpw*() functions

VMS::DCLsym

  Perl extension to manipulate DCL symbols

VMS::Stdio

  Standard I/O functions via VMS extensions

Win32

  Interfaces to some Win32 API Functions

Win32API::File

  Low-level access to Win32 system API calls for files/dirs.

Win32CORE

  Win32 CORE function stubs

XS::APItest

  Test the perl C API

XS::Typemap

  Module to test the XS typemaps distributed with perl

XSLoader

  Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code

version::Internals

  Perl extension for Version Objects

To find out all modules installed on your system, including those without documentation or outside the standard release, just use the following command (under the default win32 shell, double quotes should be used instead of single quotes).

        % perl -MFile::Find=find -MFile::Spec::Functions -Tlwe \
          'find { wanted => sub { print canonpath $_ if /\.pm\z/ },
          no_chdir => 1 }, @INC'

(The -T is here to prevent '.' from being listed in @INC.) 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 perl for details. If you have no system man command, you might try the perldoc program.

Note also that the command `perldoc perllocal` gives you a (possibly incomplete) list of the modules that have been further installed on your system. (The perllocal.pod file is updated by the standard MakeMaker install process.)

## 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 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 Google.

# 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://www.cpan.org/

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

The list of the registered CPAN sites follows. Please note that the sorting order is alphabetical on fields:

Continent | |-->Country | |-->[state/province] | |-->ftp | |-->[http]

and thus the North American servers happen to be listed between the European and the South American sites.

Registered CPAN sites

## Africa

South Africa

        http://cpan.mirror.ac.za/
        ftp://cpan.mirror.ac.za/
        http://mirror.is.co.za/pub/cpan/
        ftp://ftp.is.co.za/pub/cpan/
        ftp://ftp.saix.net/pub/CPAN/

## Asia

China

        http://cpan.wenzk.com/

Hong Kong

        http://ftp.cuhk.edu.hk/pub/packages/perl/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.cuhk.edu.hk/pub/packages/perl/CPAN/
        http://mirrors.geoexpat.com/cpan/

India

        http://perlmirror.indialinks.com/

Indonesia

        http://cpan.biz.net.id/
        http://komo.vlsm.org/CPAN/
        ftp://komo.vlsm.org/CPAN/
        http://cpan.cermin.lipi.go.id/
        ftp://cermin.lipi.go.id/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.pesat.net.id/

Japan

        ftp://ftp.u-aizu.ac.jp/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.kddilabs.jp/CPAN/
        http://ftp.nara.wide.ad.jp/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.nara.wide.ad.jp/pub/CPAN/
        http://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.dti.ad.jp/pub/lang/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.ring.gr.jp/pub/lang/perl/CPAN/
        http://ftp.riken.jp/lang/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.riken.jp/lang/CPAN/
        http://ftp.yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp/pub/lang/cpan/
        ftp://ftp.yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp/pub/lang/cpan/

Republic of Korea

        http://ftp.kaist.ac.kr/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.kaist.ac.kr/pub/CPAN
        http://cpan.mirror.cdnetworks.com/
        ftp://cpan.mirror.cdnetworks.com/CPAN/
        http://cpan.sarang.net/
        ftp://cpan.sarang.net/CPAN/

Russia

        http://cpan.tomsk.ru/
        ftp://cpan.tomsk.ru/

Singapore

        http://mirror.averse.net/pub/CPAN
        ftp://mirror.averse.net/pub/CPAN
        http://cpan.mirror.choon.net/
        http://cpan.oss.eznetsols.org
        ftp://ftp.oss.eznetsols.org/cpan

Taiwan

        http://ftp.cse.yzu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.cse.yzu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.nctu.edu.tw/
        ftp://cpan.nctu.edu.tw/
        ftp://ftp.ncu.edu.tw/CPAN/
        http://cpan.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/
        ftp://cpan.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/Unix/Lang/CPAN/
        http://cpan.stu.edu.tw
        ftp://ftp.stu.edu.tw/CPAN
        http://ftp.stu.edu.tw/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.stu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN
        http://cpan.cs.pu.edu.tw/
        ftp://cpan.cs.pu.edu.tw/pub/CPAN

Thailand

        http://mirrors.issp.co.th/cpan/
        ftp://mirrors.issp.co.th/cpan/
        http://mirror.yourconnect.com/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.yourconnect.com/CPAN/

Turkey

        http://cpan.gazi.edu.tr/

## Central America

Costa Rica

        http://mirrors.ucr.ac.cr/CPAN/
        ftp://mirrors.ucr.ac.cr/CPAN/

## Europe

Austria

        http://cpan.inode.at/
        ftp://cpan.inode.at
        http://gd.tuwien.ac.at/languages/perl/CPAN/
        ftp://gd.tuwien.ac.at/pub/CPAN/

Belgium

        http://ftp.belnet.be/mirror/ftp.cpan.org/
        ftp://ftp.belnet.be/mirror/ftp.cpan.org/
        http://ftp.easynet.be/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.weepee.org/

Bosnia and Herzegovina

        http://cpan.blic.net/

Bulgaria

        http://cpan.cbox.biz/
        ftp://cpan.cbox.biz/cpan/
        http://cpan.digsys.bg/
        ftp://ftp.digsys.bg/pub/CPAN

Croatia

        http://ftp.carnet.hr/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.carnet.hr/pub/CPAN/

Czech Republic

        ftp://ftp.fi.muni.cz/pub/CPAN/
        http://archive.cpan.cz/

Denmark

        http://mirrors.dotsrc.org/cpan
        ftp://mirrors.dotsrc.org/cpan/
        http://www.cpan.dk/
        http://mirror.uni-c.dk/pub/CPAN/

Finland

        ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        http://mirror.eunet.fi/CPAN

France

        http://cpan.enstimac.fr/
        ftp://ftp.inria.fr/pub/CPAN/
        http://distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr/pub/mirrors/cpan/
        ftp://distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr/pub/mirrors/cpan/
        ftp://ftp.lip6.fr/pub/perl/CPAN/
        http://mir2.ovh.net/ftp.cpan.org
        ftp://mir1.ovh.net/ftp.cpan.org
        ftp://ftp.oleane.net/pub/CPAN/
        http://ftp.crihan.fr/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
        ftp://ftp.crihan.fr/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
        http://ftp.u-strasbg.fr/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.u-strasbg.fr/CPAN
        http://cpan.cict.fr/
        ftp://cpan.cict.fr/pub/CPAN/

Germany

        ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/unix/languages/perl/
        http://mirrors.softliste.de/cpan/
        ftp://ftp.rub.de/pub/CPAN/
        http://www.planet-elektronik.de/CPAN/
        http://ftp.hosteurope.de/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.hosteurope.de/pub/CPAN/
        http://www.mirrorspace.org/cpan/
        http://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/
        ftp://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/
        ftp://ftp.freenet.de/pub/ftp.cpan.org/pub/CPAN/
        http://ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de/pub/Mirrors/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de/pub/Mirrors/CPAN/
        http://mirrors.zerg.biz/cpan/
        http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        http://dl.ambiweb.de/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
        http://cpan.mirror.clusters.kg/
        http://cpan.mirror.iphh.net/
        ftp://cpan.mirror.iphh.net/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.mirroring.de/
        http://mirror.informatik.uni-mannheim.de/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.informatik.uni-mannheim.de/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
        http://www.chemmedia.de/mirrors/CPAN/
        http://ftp.cw.net/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.cw.net/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.cpantesters.org/
        ftp://cpan.cpantesters.org/CPAN/
        http://cpan.mirrored.de/
        ftp://mirror.petamem.com/CPAN/
        http://cpan.noris.de/
        ftp://cpan.noris.de/pub/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/
        http://cpan.cc.uoc.gr/
        ftp://ftp.cc.uoc.gr/mirrors/CPAN/

Hungary

        http://cpan.mirrors.enexis.hu/
        ftp://cpan.mirrors.enexis.hu/mirrors/cpan/
        http://cpan.hu/

Iceland

        http://ftp.rhnet.is/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.rhnet.is/pub/CPAN/

Ireland

        http://ftp.esat.net/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.esat.net/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        http://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.heanet.ie/mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN

Italy

        http://bo.mirror.garr.it/mirrors/CPAN/
        http://cpan.panu.it/
        ftp://ftp.panu.it/pub/mirrors/perl/CPAN/

Latvia

        http://kvin.lv/pub/CPAN/

Lithuania

        http://ftp.litnet.lt/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.litnet.lt/pub/CPAN/

Malta

        http://cpan.waldonet.net.mt/

Netherlands

        ftp://ftp.quicknet.nl/pub/CPAN/
        http://mirror.hostfuss.com/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.hostfuss.com/CPAN/
        http://mirrors3.kernel.org/cpan/
        ftp://mirrors3.kernel.org/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.mirror.versatel.nl/
        ftp://ftp.mirror.versatel.nl/cpan/
        ftp://download.xs4all.nl/pub/mirror/CPAN/
        http://mirror.leaseweb.com/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.leaseweb.com/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.cpan.nl/pub/CPAN/
        http://archive.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.cs.uu.nl/mirror/CPAN/
        http://luxitude.net/cpan/

Norway

        ftp://ftp.uninett.no/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.uit.no/pub/languages/perl/cpan/

Poland

        http://piotrkosoft.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.piotrkosoft.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
        http://ftp.man.poznan.pl/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.man.poznan.pl/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.ps.pl/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.tpnet.pl/d4/CPAN/

Portugal

        http://cpan.dei.uc.pt/
        ftp://ftp.dei.uc.pt/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.ist.utl.pt/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.perl.pt/
        http://cpan.ip.pt/
        ftp://cpan.ip.pt/pub/cpan/
        http://mirrors.nfsi.pt/CPAN/
        ftp://mirrors.nfsi.pt/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.dcc.fc.up.pt/

Romania

        http://ftp.astral.ro/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.astral.ro/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.lug.ro/CPAN
        http://mirrors.xservers.ro/CPAN/
        http://mirrors.hostingromania.ro/ftp.cpan.org/
        ftp://ftp.hostingromania.ro/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
        ftp://ftp.iasi.roedu.net/pub/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/

Russia

        ftp://ftp.aha.ru/CPAN/
        http://cpan.rinet.ru/
        ftp://cpan.rinet.ru/pub/mirror/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.SpringDaemons.com/pub/CPAN/
        http://mirror.rol.ru/CPAN/
        http://ftp.silvernet.ru/CPAN/
        http://ftp.spbu.ru/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.spbu.ru/CPAN/

Slovakia

        http://cpan.fyxm.net/

Slovenia

        http://www.klevze.si/cpan

Spain

        http://osl.ugr.es/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.rediris.es/mirror/CPAN/
        http://ftp.gui.uva.es/sites/cpan.org/
        ftp://ftp.gui.uva.es/sites/cpan.org/

Sweden

        http://mirrors4.kernel.org/cpan/
        ftp://mirrors4.kernel.org/pub/CPAN/

Switzerland

        http://cpan.mirror.solnet.ch/
        ftp://ftp.solnet.ch/mirror/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.adwired.ch/CPAN/
        http://mirror.switch.ch/ftp/mirror/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.switch.ch/mirror/CPAN/

Ukraine

        http://cpan.makeperl.org/
        ftp://cpan.makeperl.org/pub/CPAN
        http://cpan.org.ua/
        http://cpan.gafol.net/
        ftp://ftp.gafol.net/pub/cpan/

United Kingdom

        http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.mirrorservice.org/sites/ftp.funet.fi/pub/languages/perl/CPAN/
        http://mirror.tje.me.uk/pub/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
        ftp://mirror.tje.me.uk/pub/mirrors/ftp.cpan.org/
        http://www.mirror.8086.net/sites/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.mirror.8086.net/sites/CPAN/
        http://cpan.mirror.anlx.net/
        ftp://ftp.mirror.anlx.net/CPAN/
        http://mirror.bytemark.co.uk/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.bytemark.co.uk/CPAN/
        http://cpan.etla.org/
        ftp://cpan.etla.org/pub/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/CPAN/
        http://mirror.sov.uk.goscomb.net/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.sov.uk.goscomb.net/pub/CPAN/
        http://ftp.plig.net/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.plig.net/pub/CPAN/
        http://ftp.ticklers.org/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.ticklers.org/pub/CPAN/
        http://cpan.mirrors.uk2.net/
        ftp://mirrors.uk2.net/pub/CPAN/
        http://mirror.ox.ac.uk/sites/www.cpan.org/
        ftp://mirror.ox.ac.uk/sites/www.cpan.org/

## North America

Bahamas

        http://www.securehost.com/mirror/CPAN/

Canada

        http://cpan.arcticnetwork.ca
        ftp://mirror.arcticnetwork.ca/pub/CPAN
        http://cpan.sunsite.ualberta.ca/
        ftp://cpan.sunsite.ualberta.ca/pub/CPAN/
        http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/pub/CPAN/
        http://arwen.cs.dal.ca/mirror/CPAN/
        ftp://arwen.cs.dal.ca/pub/mirror/CPAN/
        http://CPAN.mirror.rafal.ca/
        ftp://CPAN.mirror.rafal.ca/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://ftp.nrc.ca/pub/CPAN/
        http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/pub/CPAN/
        ftp://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/pub/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/

  Arizona

          http://cpan.ezarticleinformation.com/

  California

          http://cpan.knowledgematters.net/
          http://cpan.binkerton.com/
          http://cpan.develooper.com/
          http://mirrors.gossamer-threads.com/CPAN
          http://cpan.schatt.com/
          http://mirrors.kernel.org/cpan/
          ftp://mirrors.kernel.org/pub/CPAN
          http://mirrors2.kernel.org/cpan/
          ftp://mirrors2.kernel.org/pub/CPAN/
          http://cpan.mirror.facebook.net/
          http://mirrors1.kernel.org/cpan/
          ftp://mirrors1.kernel.org/pub/CPAN/
          http://cpan-sj.viaverio.com/
          ftp://cpan-sj.viaverio.com/pub/CPAN/
          http://www.perl.com/CPAN/

  Florida

          ftp://ftp.cise.ufl.edu/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
          http://mirror.atlantic.net/pub/CPAN/
          ftp://mirror.atlantic.net/pub/CPAN/

  Idaho

          http://mirror.its.uidaho.edu/pub/cpan/
          ftp://mirror.its.uidaho.edu/cpan/

  Illinois

          http://cpan.mirrors.hoobly.com/
          http://cpan.uchicago.edu/pub/CPAN/
          ftp://cpan.uchicago.edu/pub/CPAN/
          http://mirrors.servercentral.net/CPAN/
          http://www.stathy.com/CPAN/
          ftp://www.stathy.com/CPAN/

  Indiana

          ftp://ftp.uwsg.iu.edu/pub/perl/CPAN/
          http://cpan.netnitco.net/
          ftp://cpan.netnitco.net/pub/mirrors/CPAN/
          http://ftp.ndlug.nd.edu/pub/perl/
          ftp://ftp.ndlug.nd.edu/pub/perl/

  Massachusetts

          http://mirrors.ccs.neu.edu/CPAN/

  Michigan

          http://ftp.wayne.edu/cpan/
          ftp://ftp.wayne.edu/cpan/

  Minnesota

          http://cpan.msi.umn.edu/

  New Jersey

          http://mirror.datapipe.net/CPAN/
          ftp://mirror.datapipe.net/pub/CPAN/

  New York

          http://mirrors.24-7-solutions.net/pub/CPAN/
          ftp://mirrors.24-7-solutions.net/pub/CPAN/
          http://mirror.cc.columbia.edu/pub/software/cpan/
          ftp://mirror.cc.columbia.edu/pub/software/cpan/
          http://cpan.belfry.net/
          http://cpan.erlbaum.net/
          ftp://cpan.erlbaum.net/CPAN/
          http://cpan.hexten.net/
          ftp://cpan.hexten.net/
          ftp://mirror.nyi.net/CPAN/
          http://mirror.rit.edu/CPAN/
          ftp://mirror.rit.edu/CPAN/

  North Carolina

          http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/mirrors/CPAN
          ftp://ftp.ncsu.edu/pub/mirror/CPAN/

  Oregon

          http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/CPAN/
          ftp://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/CPAN/

  Pennsylvania

          http://ftp.epix.net/CPAN/
          ftp://ftp.epix.net/pub/languages/perl/
          http://cpan.pair.com/
          ftp://cpan.pair.com/pub/CPAN/

  South Carolina

          http://cpan.mirror.clemson.edu/

  Tennessee

          http://mira.sunsite.utk.edu/CPAN/

  Texas

          http://mirror.uta.edu/CPAN

  Utah

          ftp://mirror.xmission.com/CPAN/

  Virginia

          http://cpan-du.viaverio.com/
          ftp://cpan-du.viaverio.com/pub/CPAN/
          http://perl.secsup.org/
          ftp://perl.secsup.org/pub/perl/
          ftp://mirror.cogentco.com/pub/CPAN/

  Washington

          http://cpan.llarian.net/
          ftp://cpan.llarian.net/pub/CPAN/
          ftp://ftp-mirror.internap.com/pub/CPAN/

  Wisconsin

          http://cpan.mirrors.tds.net
          ftp://cpan.mirrors.tds.net/pub/CPAN
          http://mirror.sit.wisc.edu/pub/CPAN/
          ftp://mirror.sit.wisc.edu/pub/CPAN/

## Oceania

Australia

        http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/cpan/
        ftp://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/cpan/
        http://cpan.mirror.aussiehq.net.au/
        http://mirror.as24220.net/cpan/
        ftp://mirror.as24220.net/cpan/

New Zealand

        ftp://ftp.auckland.ac.nz/pub/perl/CPAN/
        http://cpan.inspire.net.nz
        ftp://cpan.inspire.net.nz/cpan
        http://cpan.catalyst.net.nz/CPAN/
        ftp://cpan.catalyst.net.nz/pub/CPAN/

## South America

Argentina

        http://cpan.patan.com.ar/
        http://cpan.localhost.net.ar
        ftp://mirrors.localhost.net.ar/pub/mirrors/CPAN

Brazil

        ftp://cpan.pop-mg.com.br/pub/CPAN/
        http://ftp.pucpr.br/CPAN
        ftp://ftp.pucpr.br/CPAN
        http://cpan.kinghost.net/

Chile

        http://cpan.dcc.uchile.cl/
        ftp://cpan.dcc.uchile.cl/pub/lang/cpan/

Colombia

        http://www.laqee.unal.edu.co/CPAN/

## RSYNC Mirrors

                          mirror.as24220.net::cpan
                          cpan.inode.at::CPAN
                          gd.tuwien.ac.at::CPAN
                          ftp.belnet.be::packages/cpan
                          rsync.linorg.usp.br::CPAN
                          rsync.arcticnetwork.ca::CPAN
                          CPAN.mirror.rafal.ca::CPAN
                          mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca::CPAN
                          theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca::CPAN
                          www.laqee.unal.edu.co::CPAN
                          mirror.uni-c.dk::CPAN
                          rsync.nic.funet.fi::CPAN
                          rsync://distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr/pub/mirrors/cpan/
                          mir1.ovh.net::CPAN
                          miroir-francais.fr::cpan
                          ftp.crihan.fr::CPAN
                          rsync://mirror.cict.fr/cpan/
                          rsync://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/
                          ftp-stud.hs-esslingen.de::CPAN/
                          ftp.gwdg.de::FTP/languages/perl/CPAN/
                          cpan.mirror.iphh.net::CPAN
                          cpan.cpantesters.org::cpan
                          cpan.hu::CPAN
                          komo.vlsm.org::CPAN
                          mirror.unej.ac.id::cpan
                          ftp.esat.net::/pub/languages/perl/CPAN
                          ftp.heanet.ie::mirrors/ftp.perl.org/pub/CPAN
                          rsync.panu.it::CPAN
                          cpan.fastbull.org::CPAN
                          ftp.kddilabs.jp::cpan
                          ftp.nara.wide.ad.jp::cpan/
                          rsync://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/CPAN/
                          rsync://ftp.riken.jp/cpan/
                          mirror.linuxiso.kz::CPAN
                          rsync://mirrors3.kernel.org/mirrors/CPAN/
                          rsync://rsync.osmirror.nl/cpan/
                          mirror.leaseweb.com::CPAN
                          cpan.nautile.nc::CPAN
                          mirror.icis.pcz.pl::CPAN
                          piotrkosoft.net::mirrors/CPAN
                          rsync://cpan.perl.pt/
                          ftp.kaist.ac.kr::cpan
                          cpan.sarang.net::CPAN
                          mirror.averse.net::cpan
                          rsync.oss.eznetsols.org
                          mirror.ac.za::cpan
                          ftp.is.co.za::IS-Mirror/ftp.cpan.org/
                          rsync://ftp.gui.uva.es/cpan/
                          rsync://mirrors4.kernel.org/mirrors/CPAN/
                          ftp.solnet.ch::CPAN
                          ftp.ulak.net.tr::CPAN
                          gafol.net::cpan
                          rsync.mirrorservice.org::ftp.funet.fi/pub/
                          rsync://rsync.mirror.8086.net/CPAN/
                          rsync.mirror.anlx.net::CPAN
                          mirror.bytemark.co.uk::CPAN
                          ftp.plig.net::CPAN
                          rsync://ftp.ticklers.org:CPAN/
                          mirrors.ibiblio.org::CPAN
                          cpan-du.viaverio.com::CPAN
                          mirror.hiwaay.net::CPAN
                          rsync://mira.sunsite.utk.edu/CPAN/
                          cpan.mirrors.tds.net::CPAN
                          mirror.its.uidaho.edu::cpan
                          rsync://mirror.cc.columbia.edu::cpan/
                          ftp.fxcorporate.com::CPAN
                          rsync.atlantic.net::CPAN
                          mirrors.kernel.org::mirrors/CPAN
                          rsync://mirrors2.kernel.org/mirrors/CPAN/
                          cpan.pair.com::CPAN
                          rsync://mirror.rit.edu/CPAN/
                          rsync://mirror.facebook.net/cpan/
                          rsync://mirrors1.kernel.org/mirrors/CPAN/
                          cpan-sj.viaverio.com::CPAN

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 perlsub, perlobj, and AutoLoader 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.

  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: `$obj = YOURCLASS->new();` into: `$obj = SUBCLASS->new();` ?

  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 perlstyle.

  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, or perlgpl and perlartistic). 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 $VERSION. This should be a positive floating point number with at least two digits after the decimal (i.e., hundredths, e.g, `$VERSION = "0.01"`). Don't use a "1.3.2" style version. See Exporter 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/

    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.