Writing Perl modules for CPAN : [learn to get the most out of the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN), the largest repository of open source Perl modules in the world ; develop your own reusable Perl modules using object-oriented techniques ; join t

?Writing Perl Modules for CPAN? offers Perl developers a comprehensive guide to using and contributing to the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN). Starting with a general overview of CPAN?s history, network topology, and navigational mechanisms, the book then quickly brings readers up to speed regarding how to search out and install available modules. However, in the true Open Source spirit, author and experienced Perl developer Sam Tregar teaches readers how to not only use, but also contribute to CPAN via an in-depth discussion of module creation, submission, and maintenance. Beginning with a survey of basic design principles, Tregar takes care to discuss all issues relevant to developers wishing to create great Perl modules, including choosing a proper name, using Perl?s POD (plain old documentation) feature, concepts surrounding functional and object-oriented API development, and much more. Tregar then proceeds with a complete dissertation of how modules should conform to CPAN module specifications, covering required distribution files and coding considerations, in addition to offering advice regarding proper module testing. After demonstrating how to create a module and prepare it for release, Tregar guides readers through the CPAN module submission process and discusses module maintenance once the module has been contributed to the CPAN service. ?Writing Perl Modules for CPAN? is an indispensable guide for anyone wishing to make the most of the CPAN service. Author Information Sam Tregar has been creating open source software for six years, four of which have been focused on coding in Perl. He is currently employed as a Perl programmer for About.com, where he spends his days designing and implementing content management systems. An active participant in the Perl development community, Sam is the author of a number of popular CPAN modules including HTML::Template, HTML::Pager, Inline::Guile, and Devel::Profiler. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from New York University. When not programming, Sam enjoys black-and-white photography, playing Go, reading, and maintaining the small private zoo curated by his wife. Writing Perl Modules for CPAN offers Perl developers a comprehensive guide to using and contributing to the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN). Starting with a general overview of CPAN's history, network topology, and navigational mechanisms, the book quickly brings you up-to-speed regarding how to search out and install available modules. However, in the true open source spirit, author and experienced Perl developer Sam Tregar teaches you how to not only use, but also contribute to CPAN via an in-depth discussion of module creation, submission, and maintenance. Beginning with a survey of basic design principles, Tregar takes care to discuss all issues relevant to developers wishing to create great Perl modules, including choosing a proper name, properly using Perl's POD (plain old documentation) feature, concepts surrounding functional and object-oriented API development, and much more. Tregar then proceeds with a complete dissertation of how modules should conform to CPAN module specifications, covering required distribution files and coding considerations, in addition to offering advice regarding proper module testing. After demonstrating how to create a module and prepare it for release, Tregar guides you through the CPAN module submission process and discusses module maintenance once the module has been contributed to the CPAN service. Writing Perl Modules for CPAN is an indispensable guide for anyone wishing to make the most of the CPAN service. As lARRYWALL, creator ofPerl, puts it, "Perl makes easyjobseasy and hard jobs possible." This is a large part of what makes Perl such a great language-most jobs really are easy in Perl. Butthat stillleaves the hard ones--database access, GUI development, Web clients, and so on. While they are undeniably possible in pure Perl, they arealso certainly not easy. Until you discover CPAN, that is. After that, all these jobs and more become a simple matter of choosing the right module. CPAN makes hard jobs easy. The first chapter of this book will show you how to get the mostout of CPAN. Although you can get a Iot done just by using CPAN modules, you can go further by creating your own reusable Perl modules. Chapter 2 will teach you how to create Perlmodules from the ground up. No prior module programming expe­ rience is required. Chapter 3 will improve your skills with a detailed discussion of module design and implementation. Once you're a full-fledged Perlmodule programmer, you'll naturallywant to share your work. Chapter 4 will showyou how to package your modules in module distributions. The next step, registerlog as a module author on CPAN and uploading your modules, is covered in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 is all about what happens after you upload-maintaining your modules as they grow and change over time. Of course, some modules are better than others. Chapter 7 examines a collection of CPAN's most successful modules to discover the secrets of their success. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii CPAN....Pages 1-20 Perl Module Basics....Pages 21-64 Module Design and Implementation....Pages 65-94 CPAN Module Distributions....Pages 95-128 Submitting Your Module to CPAN....Pages 129-138 Module Maintenance....Pages 139-163 Great CPAN Modules....Pages 165-174 Programming Perl in C....Pages 175-204 Writing C Modules with XS....Pages 205-236 Writing C Modules with Inline::C....Pages 237-251 CGI Application Modules for CPAN....Pages 253-271 Back Matter....Pages 273-294 Introduces the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN), discussing network topology, module installation, and searching, and teaches Perl module design and implementation.