NAME
cpan - easily interact with CPAN from the command line
SYNOPSIS
# with arguments and no switches, installs specified modules
cpan module_name [ module_name ... ]
# with switches, installs modules with extra behavior
cpan [-cfimt] module_name [ module_name ... ]
# without arguments, starts CPAN.pm shell
cpan
# without arguments, but some switches
cpan [-ahrvACDLO]
DESCRIPTION
This script provides a command interface (not a shell) to CPAN. At the moment it uses CPAN.pm to do the work, but it is not a one-shot command runner for CPAN.pm.
Meta Options
These options are mutually exclusive, and the script processes them in this order: [hvCAar]. Once the script finds one, it ignores the others, and then exits after it finishes the task. The script ignores any other command line options.
- -a
-
Creates the CPAN.pm autobundle with CPAN::Shell->autobundle.
- -A module [ module ... ]
-
Shows the primary maintainers for the specified modules
- -C module [ module ... ]
-
Show the
Changes
files for the specified modules - -D module [ module ... ]
-
Show the module details. This prints one line for each out-of-date module (meaning, modules locally installed but have newer versions on CPAN). Each line has three columns: module name, local version, and CPAN version.
-
List the modules by the specified authors.
- -h
-
Prints a help message.
- -O
-
Show the out-of-date modules.
- -r
-
Recompiles dynamically loaded modules with CPAN::Shell->recompile.
- -v
-
Print the script version and CPAN.pm version.
Module options
These options are mutually exclusive, and the script processes them in alphabetical order. It only processes the first one it finds.
- c
-
Runs a `make clean` in the specified module's directories.
- f
-
Forces the specified action, when it normally would have failed.
- i
-
Installed the specified modules.
- m
-
Makes the specified modules.
- t
-
Runs a `make test` on the specified modules.
Examples
# print a help message
cpan -h
# print the version numbers
cpan -v
# create an autobundle
cpan -a
# recompile modules
cpan -r
# install modules ( sole -i is optional )
cpan -i Netscape::Booksmarks Business::ISBN
# force install modules ( must use -i )
cpan -fi CGI::Minimal URI
TO DO
BUGS
* none noted
SEE ALSO
Most behaviour, including environment variables and configuration, comes directly from CPAN.pm.
SOURCE AVAILABILITY
This source is part of a SourceForge project which always has the latest sources in CVS, as well as all of the previous releases.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/brian-d-foy/
If, for some reason, I disappear from the world, one of the other members of the project can shepherd this module appropriately.
CREDITS
Japheth Cleaver added the bits to allow a forced install (-f).
Jim Brandt suggest and provided the initial implementation for the up-to-date and Changes features.
Adam Kennedy pointed out that exit() causes problems on Windows where this script ends up with a .bat extension
AUTHOR
brian d foy, <bdfoy@cpan.org>
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (c) 2001-2006, brian d foy, All Rights Reserved.
You may redistribute this under the same terms as Perl itself.