perlmodlib(index.php) - phpMan

PERLMODLIB(1)          Perl Programmers Reference Guide          PERLMODLIB(1)

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 (obsolete)
       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::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
       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 per the 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::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
       Version::Requirements
                   A set of version requirements for a CPAN dist
       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:
       o   Language Extensions and Documentation Tools
       o   Development Support
       o   Operating System Interfaces
       o   Networking, Device Control (modems) and InterProcess Communication
       o   Data Types and Data Type Utilities
       o   Database Interfaces
       o   User Interfaces
       o   Interfaces to / Emulations of Other Programming Languages
       o   File Names, File Systems and File Locking (see also File Handles)
       o   String Processing, Language Text Processing, Parsing, and Searching
       o   Option, Argument, Parameter, and Configuration File Processing
       o   Internationalization and Locale
       o   Authentication, Security, and Encryption
       o   World Wide Web, HTML, HTTP, CGI, MIME
       o   Server and Daemon Utilities
       o   Archiving and Compression
       o   Images, Pixmap and Bitmap Manipulation, Drawing, and Graphing
       o   Mail and Usenet News
       o   Control Flow Utilities (callbacks and exceptions etc)
       o   File Handle and Input/Output Stream Utilities
       o   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
       o   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.
       o   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.
       o   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.
       o   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.
       o   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.
       o   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!
       o   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:
           o         A description of the module/package/extension etc.
           o         A copyright notice - see below.
           o         Prerequisites - what else you may need to have.
           o         How to build it - possible changes to Makefile.PL etc.
           o         How to install it.
           o         Recent changes in this release, especially
                     incompatibilities
           o         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.
           o   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.
           o   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.
           o   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 AT 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!
           o   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
       o   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.
       o   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?
       o   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.
       o   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:
           o         Adds the standard Module prologue lines
           o         Converts package specifiers from ' to ::
           o         Converts die(...) to croak(...)
           o         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
       o   Complete applications rarely belong in the Perl Module Library.
       o   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.
       o   Break-out the reusable code into one or more separate module files.
       o   Take the opportunity to reconsider and redesign the interfaces.
       o   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.

perl v5.16.3                      2023-10-25                     PERLMODLIB(1)