[patch@31780] fixes for cpanplus on VMS

[perl5.git] / lib / Module / Build / API.pod

=head1 NAME

Module::Build::API - API Reference for Module Authors


=head1 DESCRIPTION

I list here some of the most important methods in C<Module::Build>.
Normally you won't need to deal with these methods unless you want to
subclass C<Module::Build>.  But since one of the reasons I created
this module in the first place was so that subclassing is possible
(and easy), I will certainly write more docs as the interface
stabilizes.


=head2 CONSTRUCTORS

=over 4

=item current()

[version 0.20]

This method returns a reasonable facsimile of the currently-executing
C<Module::Build> object representing the current build.  You can use
this object to query its C<notes()> method, inquire about installed
modules, and so on.  This is a great way to share information between
different parts of your build process.  For instance, you can ask
the user a question during C<perl Build.PL>, then use their answer
during a regression test:

  # In Build.PL:
  my $color = $build->prompt("What is your favorite color?");
  $build->notes(color => $color);

  # In t/colortest.t:
  use Module::Build;
  my $build = Module::Build->current;
  my $color = $build->notes('color');
  ...

The way the C<current()> method is currently implemented, there may be
slight differences between the C<$build> object in Build.PL and the
one in C<t/colortest.t>.  It is our goal to minimize these differences
in future releases of Module::Build, so please report any anomalies
you find.

One important caveat: in its current implementation, C<current()> will
B<NOT> work correctly if you have changed out of the directory that
C<Module::Build> was invoked from.

=item new()

[version 0.03]

Creates a new Module::Build object.  Arguments to the new() method are
listed below.  Most arguments are optional, but you must provide
either the C<module_name> argument, or C<dist_name> and one of
C<dist_version> or C<dist_version_from>.  In other words, you must
provide enough information to determine both a distribution name and
version.


=over 4

=item add_to_cleanup

[version 0.19]

An array reference of files to be cleaned up when the C<clean> action
is performed.  See also the add_to_cleanup() method.

=item auto_features

[version 0.26]

This parameter supports the setting of features (see
L<feature($name)>) automatically based on a set of prerequisites.  For
instance, for a module that could optionally use either MySQL or
PostgreSQL databases, you might use C<auto_features> like this:

  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     ...other stuff here...
     auto_features => {
       pg_support    => {
                         description => "Interface with Postgres databases",
                         requires    => { 'DBD::Pg' => 23.3,
                                          'DateTime::Format::Pg' => 0 },
                        },
       mysql_support => {
                         description => "Interface with MySQL databases",
                         requires    => { 'DBD::mysql' => 17.9,
                                          'DateTime::Format::MySQL' => 0 },
                        },
     }
    );

For each feature named, the required prerequisites will be checked, and
if there are no failures, the feature will be enabled (set to C<1>).
Otherwise the failures will be displayed to the user and the feature
will be disabled (set to C<0>).

See the documentation for L<requires> for the details of how
requirements can be specified.

=item autosplit

[version 0.04]

An optional C<autosplit> argument specifies a file which should be run
through the C<Autosplit::autosplit()> function.  If multiple files
should be split, the argument may be given as an array of the files to
split.

In general I don't consider autosplitting a great idea, because it's
not always clear that autosplitting achieves its intended performance
benefits.  It may even harm performance in environments like mod_perl,
where as much as possible of a module's code should be loaded during
startup.

=item build_class

[version 0.28]

The Module::Build class or subclass to use in the build
script.  Defaults to "Module::Build" or the class name passed to or
created by a call to C<subclass()>.  This property is useful if you're
writing a custom Module::Build subclass and have a bootstrapping
problem--that is, your subclass requires modules that may not be
installed when C<perl Build.PL> is executed, but you've listed in
C<build_requires> so that they should be available when C<./Build> is
executed.

=item build_requires

[version 0.07]

Modules listed in this section are necessary to build and install the
given module, but are not necessary for regular usage of it.  This is
actually an important distinction - it allows for tighter control over
the body of installed modules, and facilitates correct dependency
checking on binary/packaged distributions of the module.

See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES">
for the details of how requirements can be specified.

=item create_packlist

[version 0.28]

If true, this parameter tells Module::Build to create a F<.packlist>
file during the C<install> action, just like ExtUtils::MakeMaker does.
The file is created in a subdirectory of the C<arch> installation
location.  It is used by some other tools (CPAN, CPANPLUS, etc.) for
determining what files are part of an install.

The default value is true.  This parameter was introduced in
Module::Build version 0.2609; previously no packlists were ever
created by Module::Build.

=item c_source

[version 0.04]

An optional C<c_source> argument specifies a directory which contains
C source files that the rest of the build may depend on.  Any C<.c>
files in the directory will be compiled to object files.  The
directory will be added to the search path during the compilation and
linking phases of any C or XS files.

=item conflicts

[version 0.07]

Modules listed in this section conflict in some serious way with the
given module.  C<Module::Build> (or some higher-level tool) will
refuse to install the given module if the given module/version is also
installed.

See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES">
for the details of how requirements can be specified.

=item create_makefile_pl

[version 0.19]

This parameter lets you use Module::Build::Compat during the
C<distdir> (or C<dist>) action to automatically create a Makefile.PL
for compatibility with ExtUtils::MakeMaker.  The parameter's value
should be one of the styles named in the Module::Build::Compat
documentation.

=item create_readme

[version 0.22]

This parameter tells Module::Build to automatically create a F<README>
file at the top level of your distribution.  Currently it will simply
use C<Pod::Text> (or C<Pod::Readme> if it's installed) on the file
indicated by C<dist_version_from> and put the result in the F<README>
file.  This is by no means the only recommended style for writing a
README, but it seems to be one common one used on the CPAN.

If you generate a F<README> in this way, it's probably a good idea to
create a separate F<INSTALL> file if that information isn't in the
generated F<README>.

=item dist_abstract

[version 0.20]

This should be a short description of the distribution.  This is used
when generating metadata for F<META.yml> and PPD files.  If it is not
given then C<Module::Build> looks in the POD of the module from which
it gets the distribution's version.  It looks for the first line
matching C<$package\s-\s(.+)>, and uses the captured text as the
abstract.

=item dist_author

[version 0.20]

This should be something like "John Doe <jdoe@example.com>", or if
there are multiple authors, an anonymous array of strings may be
specified.  This is used when generating metadata for F<META.yml> and
PPD files.  If this is not specified, then C<Module::Build> looks at
the module from which it gets the distribution's version.  If it finds
a POD section marked "=head1 AUTHOR", then it uses the contents of
this section.

=item dist_name

[version 0.11]

Specifies the name for this distribution.  Most authors won't need to
set this directly, they can use C<module_name> to set C<dist_name> to
a reasonable default.  However, some agglomerative distributions like
C<libwww-perl> or C<bioperl> have names that don't correspond directly
to a module name, so C<dist_name> can be set independently.

=item dist_version

[version 0.11]

Specifies a version number for the distribution.  See C<module_name>
or C<dist_version_from> for ways to have this set automatically from a
C<$VERSION> variable in a module.  One way or another, a version
number needs to be set.

=item dist_version_from

[version 0.11]

Specifies a file to look for the distribution version in.  Most
authors won't need to set this directly, they can use C<module_name>
to set it to a reasonable default.

The version is extracted from the specified file according to the same
rules as C<ExtUtils::MakeMaker> and C<CPAN.pm>.  It involves finding
the first line that matches the regular expression

   /([\$*])(([\w\:\']*)\bVERSION)\b.*\=/

eval()-ing that line, then checking the value of the C<$VERSION>
variable.  Quite ugly, really, but all the modules on CPAN depend on
this process, so there's no real opportunity to change to something
better.

=item dynamic_config

[version 0.07]

A boolean flag indicating whether the F<Build.PL> file must be
executed, or whether this module can be built, tested and installed
solely from consulting its metadata file.  The main reason to set this
to a true value is that your module performs some dynamic
configuration as part of its build/install process.  If the flag is
omitted, the F<META.yml> spec says that installation tools should
treat it as 1 (true), because this is a safer way to behave.

Currently C<Module::Build> doesn't actually do anything with this flag
- it's up to higher-level tools like C<CPAN.pm> to do
something useful with it.  It can potentially bring lots of security,
packaging, and convenience improvements.

=item extra_compiler_flags

=item extra_linker_flags

[version 0.19]

These parameters can contain array references (or strings, in which
case they will be split into arrays) to pass through to the compiler
and linker phases when compiling/linking C code.  For example, to tell
the compiler that your code is C++, you might do:

  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     module_name          => 'Foo::Bar',
     extra_compiler_flags => ['-x', 'c++'],
    );

To link your XS code against glib you might write something like:

  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     module_name          => 'Foo::Bar',
     dynamic_config       => 1,
     extra_compiler_flags => scalar `glib-config --cflags`,
     extra_linker_flags   => scalar `glib-config --libs`,
    );

=item get_options

[version 0.26]

You can pass arbitrary command line options to F<Build.PL> or
F<Build>, and they will be stored in the Module::Build object and can
be accessed via the C<args()> method.  However, sometimes you want
more flexibility out of your argument processing than this allows.  In
such cases, use the C<get_options> parameter to pass in a hash
reference of argument specifications, and the list of arguments to
F<Build.PL> or F<Build> will be processed according to those
specifications before they're passed on to C<Module::Build>'s own
argument processing.

The supported option specification hash keys are:


=over 4

=item type

The type of option.  The types are those supported by Getopt::Long; consult
its documentation for a complete list.  Typical types are C<=s> for strings,
C<+> for additive options, and C<!> for negatable options.  If the
type is not specified, it will be considered a boolean, i.e. no
argument is taken and a value of 1 will be assigned when the option is
encountered.

=item store

A reference to a scalar in which to store the value passed to the option.
If not specified, the value will be stored under the option name in the
hash returned by the C<args()> method.

=item default

A default value for the option.  If no default value is specified and no option
is passed, then the option key will not exist in the hash returned by
C<args()>.

=back


You can combine references to your own variables or subroutines with
unreferenced specifications, for which the result will also be stored in the
hash returned by C<args()>.  For example:

  my $loud = 0;
  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     module_name => 'Foo::Bar',
     get_options => {
                     loud =>     { store => \$loud },
                     dbd  =>     { type  => '=s'   },
                     quantity => { type  => '+'    },
                    }
    );

  print STDERR "HEY, ARE YOU LISTENING??\n" if $loud;
  print "We'll use the ", $build->args('dbd'), " DBI driver\n";
  print "Are you sure you want that many?\n"
    if $build->args('quantity') > 2;

The arguments for such a specification can be called like so:

  perl Build.PL --loud --dbd=DBD::pg --quantity --quantity --quantity

B<WARNING:> Any option specifications that conflict with Module::Build's own
options (defined by its properties) will throw an exception.

Consult the Getopt::Long documentation for details on its usage.

=item include_dirs

[version 0.24]

Specifies any additional directories in which to search for C header
files.  May be given as a string indicating a single directory, or as
a list reference indicating multiple directories.

=item install_path

[version 0.19]

You can set paths for individual installable elements by using the
C<install_path> parameter:

  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     ...other stuff here...
     install_path => {
                      lib  => '/foo/lib',
                      arch => '/foo/lib/arch',
                     }
    );

=item installdirs

[version 0.19]

Determines where files are installed within the normal perl hierarchy
as determined by F<Config.pm>.  Valid values are: C<core>, C<site>,
C<vendor>.  The default is C<site>.  See
L<Module::Build/"INSTALL PATHS">

=item license

[version 0.07]

Specifies the licensing terms of your distribution.  Valid options include:


=over 4

=item apache

The distribution is licensed under the Apache Software License
(http://opensource.org/licenses/apachepl.php).

=item artistic

The distribution is licensed under the Artistic License, as specified
by the F<Artistic> file in the standard perl distribution.

=item bsd

The distribution is licensed under the BSD License
(http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php).

=item gpl

The distribution is licensed under the terms of the Gnu General
Public License (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php).

=item lgpl

The distribution is licensed under the terms of the Gnu Lesser
General Public License
(http://www.opensource.org/licenses/lgpl-license.php).

=item mit

The distribution is licensed under the MIT License
(http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php).

=item mozilla

The distribution is licensed under the Mozilla Public
License.  (http://opensource.org/licenses/mozilla1.0.php or
http://opensource.org/licenses/mozilla1.1.php)

=item open_source

The distribution is licensed under some other Open Source
Initiative-approved license listed at
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/ .

=item perl

The distribution may be copied and redistributed under the same terms
as perl itself (this is by far the most common licensing option for
modules on CPAN).  This is a dual license, in which the user may
choose between either the GPL or the Artistic license.

=item restrictive

The distribution may not be redistributed without special permission
from the author and/or copyright holder.

=item unrestricted

The distribution is licensed under a license that is B<not> approved
by www.opensource.org but that allows distribution without
restrictions.

=back


Note that you must still include the terms of your license in your
documentation - this field only lets automated tools figure out your
licensing restrictions.  Humans still need something to read.  If you
choose to provide this field, you should make sure that you keep it in
sync with your written documentation if you ever change your licensing
terms.

It is a fatal error to use a license other than the ones mentioned
above.  This is not because I wish to impose licensing terms on you -
please let me know if you would like another license option to be
added to the list.  You may also use a license type of C<unknown> if
you don't wish to specify your terms (but this is usually not a good
idea for you to do!).

I just started out with a small set of licenses to keep things simple,
figuring I'd let people with actual working knowledge in this area
tell me what to do.  So if that's you, drop me a line.

=item meta_add

[version 0.28]

A hash of key/value pairs that should be added to the F<META.yml> file
during the C<distmeta> action.  Any existing entries with the same
names will be overridden.

=item meta_merge

[version 0.28]

A hash of key/value pairs that should be merged into the F<META.yml>
file during the C<distmeta> action.  Any existing entries with the
same names will be overridden.

The only difference between C<meta_add> and C<meta_merge> is their
behavior on hash-valued and array-valued entries: C<meta_add> will
completely blow away the existing hash or array value, but
C<meta_merge> will merge the supplied data into the existing hash or
array value.

=item module_name

[version 0.03]

The C<module_name> is a shortcut for setting default values of
C<dist_name> and C<dist_version_from>, reflecting the fact that the
majority of CPAN distributions are centered around one "main" module.
For instance, if you set C<module_name> to C<Foo::Bar>, then
C<dist_name> will default to C<Foo-Bar> and C<dist_version_from> will
default to C<lib/Foo/Bar.pm>.  C<dist_version_from> will in turn be
used to set C<dist_version>.

Setting C<module_name> won't override a C<dist_*> parameter you
specify explicitly.

=item PL_files

[version 0.06]

An optional parameter specifying a set of C<.PL> files in your
distribution.  These will be run as Perl scripts prior to processing
the rest of the files in your distribution.  They are usually used as
templates for creating other files dynamically, so that a file like
C<lib/Foo/Bar.pm.PL> might create the file C<lib/Foo/Bar.pm>.

The files are specified with the C<.PL> files as hash keys, and the
file(s) they generate as hash values, like so:

  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     module_name => 'Foo::Bar',
     ...
     PL_files => { 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm.PL' => 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm' },
    );

Note that the path specifications are I<always> given in Unix-like
format, not in the style of the local system.

If your C<.PL> scripts don't create any files, or if they create files
with unexpected names, or even if they create multiple files, you can
indicate that so that Module::Build can properly handle these created
files:

  PL_files => {
               'lib/Foo/Bar.pm.PL' => 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm',
               'lib/something.PL'  => ['/lib/something', '/lib/else'],
               'lib/funny.PL'      => [],
              }

=item pm_files

[version 0.19]

An optional parameter specifying the set of C<.pm> files in this
distribution, specified as a hash reference whose keys are the files'
locations in the distributions, and whose values are their logical
locations based on their package name, i.e. where they would be found
in a "normal" Module::Build-style distribution.  This parameter is
mainly intended to support alternative layouts of files.

For instance, if you have an old-style MakeMaker distribution for a
module called C<Foo::Bar> and a F<Bar.pm> file at the top level of the
distribution, you could specify your layout in your C<Build.PL> like
this:

  my $build = Module::Build->new
    (
     module_name => 'Foo::Bar',
     ...
     pm_files => { 'Bar.pm' => 'lib/Foo/Bar.pm' },
    );

Note that the values should include C<lib/>, because this is where
they would be found in a "normal" Module::Build-style distribution.

Note also that the path specifications are I<always> given in
Unix-like format, not in the style of the local system.

=item pod_files

[version 0.19]

Just like C<pm_files>, but used for specifying the set of C<.pod>
files in your distribution.

=item recommends

[version 0.08]

This is just like the C<requires> argument, except that modules listed
in this section aren't essential, just a good idea.  We'll just print
a friendly warning if one of these modules aren't found, but we'll
continue running.

If a module is recommended but not required, all tests should still
pass if the module isn't installed.  This may mean that some tests
may be skipped if recommended dependencies aren't present.

Automated tools like CPAN.pm should inform the user when recommended
modules aren't installed, and it should offer to install them if it
wants to be helpful.

See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES">
for the details of how requirements can be specified.

=item recursive_test_files

[version 0.28]

Normally, C<Module::Build> does not search subdirectories when looking
for tests to run. When this options is set it will search recursively
in all subdirectories of the standard 't' test directory.

=item requires

[version 0.07]

An optional C<requires> argument specifies any module prerequisites
that the current module depends on.

One note: currently C<Module::Build> doesn't actually I<require> the
user to have dependencies installed, it just strongly urges.  In the
future we may require it.  There's also a C<recommends> section for
things that aren't absolutely required.

Automated tools like CPAN.pm should refuse to install a module if one
of its dependencies isn't satisfied, unless a "force" command is given
by the user.  If the tools are helpful, they should also offer to
install the dependencies.

A synonym for C<requires> is C<prereq>, to help succour people
transitioning from C<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>.  The C<requires> term is
preferred, but the C<prereq> term will remain valid in future
distributions.

See the documentation for L<Module::Build::Authoring/"PREREQUISITES">
for the details of how requirements can be specified.

=item script_files

[version 0.18]

An optional parameter specifying a set of files that should be
installed as executable perl scripts when the module is installed.
May be given as an array reference of the files, or as a hash
reference whose keys are the files (and whose values will currently be
ignored).

The default is to install no script files - in other words, there is
no default location where Module::Build will look for script files to
install.

For backward compatibility, you may use the parameter C<scripts>
instead of C<script_files>.  Please consider this usage deprecated,
though it will continue to exist for several version releases.

=item sign

[version 0.16]

If a true value is specified for this parameter, C<Module::Signature>
will be used (via the 'distsign' action) to create a SIGNATURE file
for your distribution during the 'distdir' action, and to add the
SIGNATURE file to the MANIFEST (therefore, don't add it yourself).

The default value is false.  In the future, the default may change to
true if you have C<Module::Signature> installed on your system.

=item test_files

[version 0.23]

An optional parameter specifying a set of files that should be used as
C<Test::Harness>-style regression tests to be run during the C<test>
action.  May be given as an array reference of the files, or as a hash
reference whose keys are the files (and whose values will currently be
ignored).  If the argument is given as a single string (not in an
array reference), that string will be treated as a C<glob()> pattern
specifying the files to use.

The default is to look for a F<test.pl> script in the top-level
directory of the distribution, and any files matching the glob pattern
C<*.t> in the F<t/> subdirectory.  If the C<recursive_test_files>
property is true, then the C<t/> directory will be scanned recursively
for C<*.t> files.


=item xs_files

[version 0.19]

Just like C<pm_files>, but used for specifying the set of C<.xs>
files in your distribution.

=back


=item new_from_context(%args)

[version 0.28]

When called from a directory containing a F<Build.PL> script and a
F<META.yml> file (in other words, the base directory of a
distribution), this method will run the F<Build.PL> and return the
resulting C<Module::Build> object to the caller.  Any key-value
arguments given to C<new_from_context()> are essentially like
command line arguments given to the F<Build.PL> script, so for example
you could pass C<< verbose => 1 >> to this method to turn on
verbosity.

=item resume()

[version 0.03]

You'll probably never call this method directly, it's only called from
the auto-generated C<Build> script.  The C<new()> method is only
called once, when the user runs C<perl Build.PL>.  Thereafter, when
the user runs C<Build test> or another action, the C<Module::Build>
object is created using the C<resume()> method to re-instantiate with
the settings given earlier to C<new()>.

=item subclass()

[version 0.06]

This creates a new C<Module::Build> subclass on the fly, as described
in the L<Module::Build::Authoring/"SUBCLASSING"> section.  The caller
must provide either a C<class> or C<code> parameter, or both.  The
C<class> parameter indicates the name to use for the new subclass, and
defaults to C<MyModuleBuilder>.  The C<code> parameter specifies Perl
code to use as the body of the subclass.

=back


=head2 METHODS

=over 4

=item add_build_element($type)

[version 0.26]

Adds a new type of entry to the build process.  Accepts a single
string specifying its type-name.  There must also be a method defined
to process things of that type, e.g. if you add a build element called
C<'foo'>, then you must also define a method called
C<process_foo_files()>.

See also
L<Module::Build::Cookbook/"Adding new file types to the build process">.

=item add_to_cleanup(@files)

[version 0.03]

You may call C<< $self->add_to_cleanup(@patterns) >> to tell
C<Module::Build> that certain files should be removed when the user
performs the C<Build clean> action.  The arguments to the method are
patterns suitable for passing to Perl's C<glob()> function, specified
in either Unix format or the current machine's native format.  It's
usually convenient to use Unix format when you hard-code the filenames
(e.g. in F<Build.PL>) and the native format when the names are
programmatically generated (e.g. in a testing script).

I decided to provide a dynamic method of the C<$build> object, rather
than just use a static list of files named in the F<Build.PL>, because
these static lists can get difficult to manage.  I usually prefer to
keep the responsibility for registering temporary files close to the
code that creates them.

=item args()

[version 0.26]

  my $args_href = $build->args;
  my %args = $build->args;
  my $arg_value = $build->args($key);
  $build->args($key, $value);

This method is the preferred interface for retrieving the arguments passed via
command line options to F<Build.PL> or F<Build>, minus the Module-Build
specific options.

When called in in a scalar context with no arguments, this method returns a
reference to the hash storing all of the arguments; in an array context, it
returns the hash itself.  When passed a single argument, it returns the value
stored in the args hash for that option key.  When called with two arguments,
the second argument is assigned to the args hash under the key passed as the
first argument.

=item autosplit_file($from, $to)

[version 0.28]

Invokes the C<AutoSplit> module on the C<$from> file, sending the
output to the C<lib/auto> directory inside C<$to>.  C<$to> is
typically the C<blib/> directory.

=item base_dir()

[version 0.14]

Returns a string containing the root-level directory of this build,
i.e. where the C<Build.PL> script and the C<lib> directory can be
found.  This is usually the same as the current working directory,
because the C<Build> script will C<chdir()> into this directory as
soon as it begins execution.

=item build_requires()

[version 0.21]

Returns a hash reference indicating the C<build_requires>
prerequisites that were passed to the C<new()> method.

=item check_installed_status($module, $version)

[version 0.11]

This method returns a hash reference indicating whether a version
dependency on a certain module is satisfied.  The C<$module> argument
is given as a string like C<"Data::Dumper"> or C<"perl">, and the
C<$version> argument can take any of the forms described in L<requires>
above.  This allows very fine-grained version checking.

The returned hash reference has the following structure:

  {
   ok => $whether_the_dependency_is_satisfied,
   have => $version_already_installed,
   need => $version_requested, # Same as incoming $version argument
   message => $informative_error_message,
  }

If no version of C<$module> is currently installed, the C<have> value
will be the string C<< "<none>" >>.  Otherwise the C<have> value will
simply be the version of the installed module.  Note that this means
that if C<$module> is installed but doesn't define a version number,
the C<have> value will be C<undef> - this is why we don't use C<undef>
for the case when C<$module> isn't installed at all.

This method may be called either as an object method
(C<< $build->check_installed_status($module, $version) >>)
or as a class method 
(C<< Module::Build->check_installed_status($module, $version) >>).

=item check_installed_version($module, $version)

[version 0.05]

Like C<check_installed_status()>, but simply returns true or false
depending on whether module C<$module> satisfies the dependency
C<$version>.

If the check succeeds, the return value is the actual version of
C<$module> installed on the system.  This allows you to do the
following:

  my $installed = $build->check_installed_version('DBI', '1.15');
  if ($installed) {
    print "Congratulations, version $installed of DBI is installed.\n";
  } else {
    die "Sorry, you must install DBI.\n";
  }

If the check fails, we return false and set C<$@> to an informative
error message.

If C<$version> is any non-true value (notably zero) and any version of
C<$module> is installed, we return true.  In this case, if C<$module>
doesn't define a version, or if its version is zero, we return the
special value "0 but true", which is numerically zero, but logically
true.

In general you might prefer to use C<check_installed_status> if you
need detailed information, or this method if you just need a yes/no
answer.

=item compare_versions($v1, $op, $v2)

[version 0.28]

Compares two module versions C<$v1> and C<$v2> using the operator
C<$op>, which should be one of Perl's numeric operators like C<!=> or
C<< >= >> or the like.  We do at least a halfway-decent job of
handling versions that aren't strictly numeric, like C<0.27_02>, but
exotic stuff will likely cause problems.

In the future, the guts of this method might be replaced with a call
out to C<version.pm>.

=item config($key)

=item config($key, $value)

=item config() [deprecated]

[version 0.22]

With a single argument C<$key>, returns the value associated with that
key in the C<Config.pm> hash, including any changes the author or user
has specified.  

With C<$key> and C<$value> arguments, sets the value for future
callers of C<config($key)>.

With no arguments, returns a hash reference containing all such
key-value pairs.  This usage is deprecated, though, because it's a
resource hog and violates encapsulation.

=item config_data($name)

=item config_data($name => $value)

[version 0.26]

With a single argument, returns the value of the configuration
variable C<$name>.  With two arguments, sets the given configuration
variable to the given value.  The value may be any perl scalar that's
serializable with C<Data::Dumper>.  For instance, if you write a
module that can use a MySQL or PostgreSQL back-end, you might create
configuration variables called C<mysql_connect> and
C<postgres_connect>, and set each to an array of connection parameters
for C<< DBI->connect() >>.

Configuration values set in this way using the Module::Build object
will be available for querying during the build/test process and after
installation via the generated C<...::ConfigData> module, as
C<< ...::ConfigData->config($name) >>.

The C<feature()> and C<config_data()> methods represent
Module::Build's main support for configuration of installed modules.
See also L<Module::Build::Authoring/"SAVING CONFIGURATION INFORMATION">.

=item conflicts()

[version 0.21]

Returns a hash reference indicating the C<conflicts> prerequisites
that were passed to the C<new()> method.

=item contains_pod($file)

[version 0.20]

[Deprecated] Please see L<Module::Build::ModuleInfo> instead.

Returns true if the given file appears to contain POD documentation.
Currently this checks whether the file has a line beginning with
'=pod', '=head', or '=item', but the exact semantics may change in the
future.

=item copy_if_modified(%parameters)

[version 0.19]

Takes the file in the C<from> parameter and copies it to the file in
the C<to> parameter, or the directory in the C<to_dir> parameter, if
the file has changed since it was last copied (or if it doesn't exist
in the new location).  By default the entire directory structure of
C<from> will be copied into C<to_dir>; an optional C<flatten>
parameter will copy into C<to_dir> without doing so.

Returns the path to the destination file, or C<undef> if nothing
needed to be copied.

Any directories that need to be created in order to perform the
copying will be automatically created.

The destination file is set to read-only. If the source file has the
executable bit set, then the destination file will be made executable.

=item create_build_script()

[version 0.05]

Creates an executable script called C<Build> in the current directory
that will be used to execute further user actions.  This script is
roughly analogous (in function, not in form) to the Makefile created
by C<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>.  This method also creates some temporary
data in a directory called C<_build/>.  Both of these will be removed
when the C<realclean> action is performed.

Among the files created in C<_build/> is a F<_build/prereqs> file
containing the set of prerequisites for this distribution, as a hash
of hashes.  This file may be C<eval()>-ed to obtain the authoritative
set of prereqs, which might be different from the contents of META.yml
(because F<Build.PL> might have set them dynamically).  But fancy
developers take heed: do not put any fancy custom runtime code in the
F<_build/prereqs> file, leave it as a static declaration containing
only strings and numbers.  Similarly, do not alter the structure of
the internal C<< $self->{properties}{requires} >> (etc.) data members,
because that's where this data comes from.

=item current_action()

[version 0.28]

Returns the name of the currently-running action, such as "build" or
"test".  This action is not necessarily the action that was originally
invoked by the user.  For example, if the user invoked the "test"
action, current_action() would initially return "test".  However,
action "test" depends on action "code", so current_action() will
return "code" while that dependency is being executed.  Once that
action has completed, current_action() will again return "test".

If you need to know the name of the original action invoked by the
user, see L<invoked_action()> below.

=item depends_on(@actions)

[version 0.28]

Invokes the named action or list of actions in sequence.  Using this
method is preferred to calling the action explicitly because it
performs some internal record-keeping, and it ensures that the same
action is not invoked multiple times (note: in future versions of
Module::Build it's conceivable that this run-only-once mechanism will
be changed to something more intelligent).

Note that the name of this method is something of a misnomer; it
should really be called something like
C<invoke_actions_unless_already_invoked()> or something, but for
better or worse (perhaps better!) we were still thinking in
C<make>-like dependency terms when we created this method.

See also C<dispatch()>.  The main distinction between the two is that
C<depends_on()> is meant to call an action from inside another action,
whereas C<dispatch()> is meant to set the very top action in motion.

=item dir_contains($first_dir, $second_dir)

[version 0.28]

Returns true if the first directory logically contains the second
directory.  This is just a convenience function because C<File::Spec>
doesn't really provide an easy way to figure this out (but
C<Path::Class> does...).

=item dispatch($action, %args)

[version 0.03]

Invokes the build action C<$action>.  Optionally, a list of options
and their values can be passed in.  This is equivalent to invoking an
action at the command line, passing in a list of options.

Custom options that have not been registered must be passed in as a
hash reference in a key named "args":

  $build->dispatch('foo', verbose => 1, args => { my_option => 'value' });

This method is intended to be used to programmatically invoke build
actions, e.g. by applications controlling Module::Build-based builds
rather than by subclasses.

See also C<depends_on()>.  The main distinction between the two is that
C<depends_on()> is meant to call an action from inside another action,
whereas C<dispatch()> is meant to set the very top action in motion.

=item dist_dir()

[version 0.28]

Returns the name of the directory that will be created during the
C<dist> action.  The name is derived from the C<dist_name> and
C<dist_version> properties.

=item dist_name()

[version 0.21]

Returns the name of the current distribution, as passed to the
C<new()> method in a C<dist_name> or modified C<module_name>
parameter.

=item dist_version()

[version 0.21]

Returns the version of the current distribution, as determined by the
C<new()> method from a C<dist_version>, C<dist_version_from>, or
C<module_name> parameter.

=item do_system($cmd, @args)

[version 0.21]

This is a fairly simple wrapper around Perl's C<system()> built-in
command.  Given a command and an array of optional arguments, this
method will print the command to C<STDOUT>, and then execute it using
Perl's C<system()>.  It returns true or false to indicate success or
failure (the opposite of how C<system()> works, but more intuitive).

Note that if you supply a single argument to C<do_system()>, it
will/may be processed by the systems's shell, and any special
characters will do their special things.  If you supply multiple
arguments, no shell will get involved and the command will be executed
directly.

=item feature($name)

=item feature($name => $value)

[version 0.26]

With a single argument, returns true if the given feature is set.
With two arguments, sets the given feature to the given boolean value.
In this context, a "feature" is any optional functionality of an
installed module.  For instance, if you write a module that could
optionally support a MySQL or PostgreSQL backend, you might create
features called C<mysql_support> and C<postgres_support>, and set them
to true/false depending on whether the user has the proper databases
installed and configured.

Features set in this way using the Module::Build object will be
available for querying during the build/test process and after
installation via the generated C<...::ConfigData> module, as 
C<< ...::ConfigData->feature($name) >>.

The C<feature()> and C<config_data()> methods represent
Module::Build's main support for configuration of installed modules.
See also L<Module::Build::Authoring/"SAVING CONFIGURATION INFORMATION">.

=item have_c_compiler()

[version 0.21]

Returns true if the current system seems to have a working C compiler.
We currently determine this by attempting to compile a simple C source
file and reporting whether the attempt was successful.

=item install_base_relpaths()

=item install_base_relpaths($type)

=item install_base_relpaths($type => $path)

[version 0.28]

Set or retrieve the relative paths that are appended to
C<install_base> for any installable element. This is useful if you
want to set the relative install path for custom build elements.

With no argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing all
elements and their respective values. This hash should not be modified
directly; use the multi-argument below form to change values.

The single argument form returns the value associated with the
element C<$type>.

The multi-argument form allows you to set the paths for element types.
C<$value> must be a relative path using unix-like paths.  (A series of
directories seperated by slashes.  Eg 'foo/bar'.)  The return value is a
localized path based on C<$value>.

Assigning the value C<undef> to an element causes it to be removed.

=item install_destination($type)

[version 0.28]

Returns the directory in which items of type C<$type> (e.g. C<lib>,
C<arch>, C<bin>, or anything else returned by the C<install_types()>
method) will be installed during the C<install> action.  Any settings
for C<install_path>, C<install_base>, and C<prefix> are taken into
account when determining the return value.

=item install_path()

=item install_path($type)

=item install_path($type => $path)

[version 0.28]

Set or retrieve paths for specific installable elements. This is
useful when you want to examine any explicit install paths specified
by the user on the command line, or if you want to set the install
path for a specific installable element based on another attribute
like C<install_base()>.

With no argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing all
elements and their respective values. This hash should not be modified
directly; use the multi-argument below form to change values.

The single argument form returns the value associated with the
element C<$type>.

The multi-argument form allows you to set the paths for element types.
The supplied C<$path> should be an absolute path to install elements
of C<$type>.  The return value is C<$path>.

Assigning the value C<undef> to an element causes it to be removed.

=item install_types()

[version 0.28]

Returns a list of installable types that this build knows about.
These types each correspond to the name of a directory in F<blib/>,
and the list usually includes items such as C<lib>, C<arch>, C<bin>,
C<script>, C<libdoc>, C<bindoc>, and if HTML documentation is to be
built, C<libhtml> and C<binhtml>.  Other user-defined types may also
exist.

=item invoked_action()

[version 0.28]

This is the name of the original action invoked by the user.  This
value is set when the user invokes F<Build.PL>, the F<Build> script,
or programatically through the L<dispatch()> method.  It does not
change as sub-actions are executed as dependencies are evaluated.

To get the name of the currently executing dependency, see
L<current_action()> above.

=item notes()

=item notes($key)

=item notes($key => $value)

[version 0.20]

The C<notes()> value allows you to store your own persistent
information about the build, and to share that information among
different entities involved in the build.  See the example in the
C<current()> method.

The C<notes()> method is essentally a glorified hash access.  With no
arguments, C<notes()> returns the entire hash of notes.  With one argument,
C<notes($key)> returns the value associated with the given key.  With two
arguments, C<notes($key, $value)> sets the value associated with the given key
to C<$value> and returns the new value.

The lifetime of the C<notes> data is for "a build" - that is, the
C<notes> hash is created when C<perl Build.PL> is run (or when the
C<new()> method is run, if the Module::Build Perl API is being used
instead of called from a shell), and lasts until C<perl Build.PL> is
run again or the C<clean> action is run.

=item orig_dir()

[version 0.28]

Returns a string containing the working directory that was in effect
before the F<Build> script chdir()-ed into the C<base_dir>.  This
might be useful for writing wrapper tools that might need to chdir()
back out.

=item os_type()

[version 0.04]

If you're subclassing Module::Build and some code needs to alter its
behavior based on the current platform, you may only need to know
whether you're running on Windows, Unix, MacOS, VMS, etc., and not the
fine-grained value of Perl's C<$^O> variable.  The C<os_type()> method
will return a string like C<Windows>, C<Unix>, C<MacOS>, C<VMS>, or
whatever is appropriate.  If you're running on an unknown platform, it
will return C<undef> - there shouldn't be many unknown platforms
though.

=item is_vmsish()

=item is_windowsish()

=item is_unixish()

Convenience functions that return a boolean value indicating whether
this platform behaves respectively like VMS, Windows, or Unix.  For
arbitrary reasons other platforms don't get their own such functions,
at least not yet.


=item prefix_relpaths()

=item prefix_relpaths($installdirs)

=item prefix_relpaths($installdirs, $type)

=item prefix_relpaths($installdirs, $type => $path)

[version 0.28]

Set or retrieve the relative paths that are appended to C<prefix> for
any installable element.  This is useful if you want to set the
relative install path for custom build elements.

With no argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing all
elements and their respective values as defined by the current
C<installdirs> setting.

With a single argument, it returns a reference to a hash containing
all elements and their respective values as defined by
C<$installdirs>.

The hash returned by the above calls should not be modified directly;
use the three-argument below form to change values.

The two argument form returns the value associated with the
element C<$type>.

The multi-argument form allows you to set the paths for element types.
C<$value> must be a relative path using unix-like paths.  (A series of
directories seperated by slashes.  Eg 'foo/bar'.)  The return value is a
localized path based on C<$value>.

Assigning the value C<undef> to an element causes it to be removed.

=item prepare_metadata()

[version 0.28]

This method is provided for authors to override to customize the
fields of F<META.yml>.  It is passed a YAML::Node node object which can
be modified as desired and then returned.  E.g.

  package My::Builder;
  use base 'Module::Build';

  sub prepare_metadata {
    my $self = shift;
    my $node = $self->SUPER::prepare_metadata( shift );
    $node->{custom_field} = 'foo';
    return $node;
  }

=item prereq_failures()

[version 0.11]

Returns a data structure containing information about any failed
prerequisites (of any of the types described above), or C<undef> if
all prerequisites are met.

The data structure returned is a hash reference.  The top level keys
are the type of prerequisite failed, one of "requires",
"build_requires", "conflicts", or "recommends".  The associated values
are hash references whose keys are the names of required (or
conflicting) modules.  The associated values of those are hash
references indicating some information about the failure.  For example:

  {
   have => '0.42',
   need => '0.59',
   message => 'Version 0.42 is installed, but we need version 0.59',
  }

or

  {
   have => '<none>',
   need => '0.59',
   message => 'Prerequisite Foo isn't installed',
  }

This hash has the same structure as the hash returned by the
C<check_installed_status()> method, except that in the case of
"conflicts" dependencies we change the "need" key to "conflicts" and
construct a proper message.

Examples:

  # Check a required dependency on Foo::Bar
  if ( $build->prereq_failures->{requires}{Foo::Bar} ) { ...

  # Check whether there were any failures
  if ( $build->prereq_failures ) { ...

  # Show messages for all failures
  my $failures = $build->prereq_failures;
  while (my ($type, $list) = each %$failures) {
    while (my ($name, $hash) = each %$list) {
      print "Failure for $name: $hash->{message}\n";
    }
  }

=item prereq_report()

[version 0.28]

Returns a human-readable (table-form) string showing all
prerequisites, the versions required, and the versions actually
installed.  This can be useful for reviewing the configuration of your
system prior to a build, or when compiling data to send for a bug
report.  The C<prereq_report> action is just a thin wrapper around the
C<prereq_report()> method.

=item prompt($message, $default)

[version 0.12]

Asks the user a question and returns their response as a string.  The
first argument specifies the message to display to the user (for
example, C<"Where do you keep your money?">).  The second argument,
which is optional, specifies a default answer (for example,
C<"wallet">).  The user will be asked the question once.

If C<prompt()> detects that it is not running interactively and there
is nothing on STDIN or if the PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT environment variable
is set to true, the $default will be used without prompting.

To prevent automated processes from blocking, the user must either set
PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT or attach something to STDIN (this can be a
pipe/file containing a scripted set of answers or /dev/null.)

If no $default is provided an empty string will be used instead.  In
non-interactive mode, the absence of $default is an error (though
explicitly passing C<undef()> as the default is valid as of 0.27.)

This method may be called as a class or object method.

=item recommends()

[version 0.21]

Returns a hash reference indicating the C<recommends> prerequisites
that were passed to the C<new()> method.

=item requires()

[version 0.21]

Returns a hash reference indicating the C<requires> prerequisites that
were passed to the C<new()> method.

=item rscan_dir($dir, $pattern)

[version 0.28]

Uses C<File::Find> to traverse the directory C<$dir>, returning a
reference to an array of entries matching C<$pattern>.  C<$pattern>
may either be a regular expression (using C<qr//> or just a plain
string), or a reference to a subroutine that will return true for
wanted entries.  If C<$pattern> is not given, all entries will be
returned.

Examples:

 # All the *.pm files in lib/
 $m->rscan_dir('lib', qr/\.pm$/)
 
 # All the files in blib/ that aren't *.html files
 $m->rscan_dir('blib', sub {-f $_ and not /\.html$/});

 # All the files in t/
 $m->rscan_dir('t');

=item runtime_params()

=item runtime_params($key)

[version 0.28]

The C<runtime_params()> method stores the values passed on the command line
for valid properties (that is, any command line options for which
C<valid_property()> returns a true value).  The value on the command line may
override the default value for a property, as well as any value specified in a
call to C<new()>.  This allows you to programmatically tell if C<perl Build.PL>
or any execution of C<./Build> had command line options specified that
override valid properties.

The C<runtime_params()> method is essentally a glorified read-only hash.  With
no arguments, C<runtime_params()> returns the entire hash of properties
specified on the command line.  With one argument, C<runtime_params($key)>
returns the value associated with the given key.

The lifetime of the C<runtime_params> data is for "a build" - that is, the
C<runtime_params> hash is created when C<perl Build.PL> is run (or when the
C<new()> method is called, if the Module::Build Perl API is being used instead
of called from a shell), and lasts until C<perl Build.PL> is run again or the
C<clean> action is run.

=item script_files()

[version 0.18]

Returns a hash reference whose keys are the perl script files to be
installed, if any.  This corresponds to the C<script_files> parameter to the
C<new()> method.  With an optional argument, this parameter may be set
dynamically.

For backward compatibility, the C<scripts()> method does exactly the
same thing as C<script_files()>.  C<scripts()> is deprecated, but it
will stay around for several versions to give people time to
transition.

=item up_to_date($source_file, $derived_file)

=item up_to_date(\@source_files, \@derived_files)

[version 0.20]

This method can be used to compare a set of source files to a set of
derived files.  If any of the source files are newer than any of the
derived files, it returns false.  Additionally, if any of the derived
files do not exist, it returns false.  Otherwise it returns true.

The arguments may be either a scalar or an array reference of file
names.

=item y_n($message, $default)

[version 0.12]

Asks the user a yes/no question using C<prompt()> and returns true or
false accordingly.  The user will be asked the question repeatedly
until they give an answer that looks like "yes" or "no".

The first argument specifies the message to display to the user (for
example, C<"Shall I invest your money for you?">), and the second
argument specifies the default answer (for example, C<"y">).

Note that the default is specified as a string like C<"y"> or C<"n">,
and the return value is a Perl boolean value like 1 or 0.  I thought
about this for a while and this seemed like the most useful way to do
it.

This method may be called as a class or object method.

=back


=head2 Autogenerated Accessors

In addition to the aforementioned methods, there are also some get/set
accessor methods for the following properties:

=over 4

=item PL_files()

=item allow_mb_mismatch()

=item autosplit()

=item base_dir()

=item bindoc_dirs()

=item blib()

=item build_bat()

=item build_class()

=item build_elements()

=item build_requires()

=item build_script()

=item c_source()

=item config_dir()

=item conflicts()

=item create_makefile_pl()

=item create_packlist()

=item create_readme()

=item debugger()

=item destdir()

=item get_options()

=item html_css()

=item include_dirs()

=item install_base()

=item install_sets()

=item installdirs()

=item libdoc_dirs()

=item license()

=item magic_number()

=item mb_version()

=item meta_add()

=item meta_merge()

=item metafile()

=item module_name()

=item orig_dir()

=item original_prefix()

=item perl()

=item pm_files()

=item pod_files()

=item pollute()

=item prefix()

=item prereq_action_types()

=item quiet()

=item recommends()

=item recurse_into()

=item recursive_test_files()

=item requires()

=item scripts()

=item use_rcfile()

=item verbose()

=item xs_files()

=back


=head1 AUTHOR

Ken Williams <kwilliams@cpan.org>


=head1 COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2001-2006 Ken Williams.  All rights reserved.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.


=head1 SEE ALSO

perl(1), L<Module::Build>(3), L<Module::Build::Authoring>(3),
L<Module::Build::Cookbook>(3), L<ExtUtils::MakeMaker>(3), L<YAML>(3)

F<META.yml> Specification:
L<http://module-build.sourceforge.net/META-spec-current.html>

=cut