phpman > perldoc > ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Tutorial(3perl)

NAME
    ExtUtils::MakeMaker::Tutorial - Writing a module with MakeMaker

SYNOPSIS
        use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;

        WriteMakefile(
            NAME            => 'Your::Module',
            VERSION_FROM    => 'lib/Your/Module.pm'
        );

DESCRIPTION
    This is a short tutorial on writing a simple module with MakeMaker. It's really not that hard.

  The Mantra
    MakeMaker modules are installed using this simple mantra

            perl Makefile.PL
            make
            make test
            make install

    There are lots more commands and options, but the above will do it.

  The Layout
    The basic files in a module look something like this.

            Makefile.PL
            MANIFEST
            lib/Your/Module.pm

    That's all that's strictly necessary. There's additional files you might want:

            lib/Your/Other/Module.pm
            t/some_test.t
            t/some_other_test.t
            Changes
            README
            INSTALL
            MANIFEST.SKIP
            bin/some_program

    Makefile.PL
        When you run Makefile.PL, it makes a Makefile. That's the whole point of MakeMaker. The
        Makefile.PL is a simple program which loads ExtUtils::MakeMaker and runs the WriteMakefile()
        function to generate a Makefile.

        Here's an example of what you need for a simple module:

            use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;

            WriteMakefile(
                NAME            => 'Your::Module',
                VERSION_FROM    => 'lib/Your/Module.pm'
            );

        NAME is the top-level namespace of your module. VERSION_FROM is the file which contains the
        $VERSION variable for the entire distribution. Typically this is the same as your top-level
        module.

    MANIFEST
        A simple listing of all the files in your distribution.

                Makefile.PL
                MANIFEST
                lib/Your/Module.pm

        File paths in a MANIFEST always use Unix conventions (ie. /) even if you're not on Unix.

        You can write this by hand or generate it with 'make manifest'.

        See ExtUtils::Manifest for more details.

    lib/
        This is the directory where the .pm and .pod files you wish to have installed go. They are
        laid out according to namespace. So Foo::Bar is lib/Foo/Bar.pm.

    t/  Tests for your modules go here. Each test filename ends with a .t. So t/foo.t 'make test'
        will run these tests.

        Typically, the t/ test directory is flat, with all test files located directly within it.
        However, you can nest tests within subdirectories, for example:

            t/foo/subdir_test.t

        To do this, you need to inform "WriteMakeFile()" in your *Makefile.PL* file in the following
        fashion:

            test => {TESTS => 't/*.t t/*/*.t'}

        That will run all tests in t/, as well as all tests in all subdirectories that reside under
        t/. You can nest as deeply as makes sense for your project. Simply add another entry in the
        test location string. For example, to test:

            t/foo/bar/subdir_test.t

        You would use the following "test" directive:

            test => {TESTS => 't/*.t t/*/*/*.t'}

        Note that in the above example, tests in the first subdirectory will not be run. To run all
        tests in the intermediary subdirectory preceding the one the test files are in, you need to
        explicitly note it:

            test => {TESTS => 't/*.t t/*/*.t t/*/*/*.t'}

        You don't need to specify wildcards if you only want to test within specific subdirectories.
        The following example will only run tests in t/foo:

            test => {TESTS => 't/foo/*.t'}

        Tests are run from the top level of your distribution. So inside a test you would refer to
        ./lib to enter the lib directory, for example.

    Changes
        A log of changes you've made to this module. The layout is free-form. Here's an example:

            1.01 Fri Apr 11 00:21:25 PDT 2003
                - thing() does some stuff now
                - fixed the wiggy bug in withit()

            1.00 Mon Apr  7 00:57:15 PDT 2003
                - "Rain of Frogs" now supported

    README
        A short description of your module, what it does, why someone would use it and its
        limitations. CPAN automatically pulls your README file out of the archive and makes it
        available to CPAN users, it is the first thing they will read to decide if your module is
        right for them.

    INSTALL
        Instructions on how to install your module along with any dependencies. Suggested
        information to include here:

            any extra modules required for use
            the minimum version of Perl required
            if only works on certain operating systems

    MANIFEST.SKIP
        A file full of regular expressions to exclude when using 'make manifest' to generate the
        MANIFEST. These regular expressions are checked against each file path found in the
        distribution (so you're matching against "t/foo.t" not "foo.t").

        Here's a sample:

            ~$          # ignore emacs and vim backup files
            .bak$       # ignore manual backups
            \#          # ignore CVS old revision files and emacs temp files

        Since # can be used for comments, # must be escaped.

        MakeMaker comes with a default MANIFEST.SKIP to avoid things like version control
        directories and backup files. Specifying your own will override this default.

    bin/

SEE ALSO
    perlmodstyle gives stylistic help writing a module.

    perlnewmod gives more information about how to write a module.

    There are modules to help you through the process of writing a module: ExtUtils::ModuleMaker,
    Module::Starter, Minilla::Tutorial, Dist::Milla::Tutorial, Dist::Zilla::Starter