Modern Perl

Bootstrapping local::lib

I'm a big fan of local::lib which is a really useful tool for isolating Perl project dependencies.  Basically it allows me to install the CPAN distributions I need when I need them without having to go through the painful regression testing associated with perl projects using global libs.  This makes developing for Perl in shared environments much more pleasant.  Using local::lib and managing my project via its Makefile.PL have become my default perl development methodology.

Using local::lib I isolate the dependencies for each project into a separate directory under my $HOME.  This allows me to quickly switch between multiple projects, each with its own dependency needs.  I use this tool so much that without it I find my work flow is seriously hampered.

Its also great for deployment as well (see Module::Install::Bundle::LocalLib for some help with this need)

However since I work on so many separate open source projects, I end up needing to create and manage a bunch of local::lib created dependency directories.  In order to help me with this I cobbled together a script based on code from http://github.com/bobtfish/catalyst-app-example-locallibapp and from the example directory of local::lib itself (see http://cpansearch.perl.org/src/APEIRON/local-lib-1.004009/eg/scripted_install.pl for the original script I looked at).

I wrote this script to help me deal with servers with seriously messed up installations of CPAN; its my attempt to create an isolated local::lib as quickly and easily as possible.  You can check it out at: http://github.com/jjn1056/bootstrap-locallib.pl where your comments, complaints and preferably patches are welcome.

Usage is straightforward.  You can wget like:

     wget http://github.com/downloads/jjn1056/bootstrap-locallib.pl/bootstrap_locallib.pl

I recommend putting somewhere in $PATH and setting it to have execution rights.  You can view documentation with the normal "--help" option but the default option is to create a bootstrapped local-lib5 directory under $HOME

    bootstrap_locallib.pl

This script creates a small helper file in your local::lib bin directory which you can use to 'activate' the local::lib for either a subshell or for one command.  For example, if you ran the above command you should now be able to:

    $HOME/local-lib5/bin/localenv perl -V

and you'll see that the @INC has been altered to include the created local::lib. It will also append its bin directory to your $PATH.

My typical usage is to create one local::lib per project, such as:

  bootstrap_locallib.pl -a html-formhandler-lib5

and then when I am going to work on that project I spawn off a bash subshell:

  $HOME/html-formhandler-lib5/bin/localenv bash

Now my sub shell has its $PATH and perl @INC altered to match the given local::lib so I can install new dependencies, etc.  When I am finished or need to work on another project I simply 'exit' and spawn off a different subshell for that project.  In this way I can manage my workflow and dependencies between all the projects I have.

Anyway, that's what I do.  Comments/corrections/improvements (and patches) welcomed!

http://github.com/explore

Short post today.

Recently noticed a spat of blogs related to improve Perl advocacy and improve visibility beyond the walls of our community.  One thing that I think we are doing that can help is the fact that now since so many of us are using git we can clone repos across all the popular code sharing sites.  So, even if you are not using Github, its a great idea to pot a clone of the main repo there.  This helps both increasing awareness and can bring in additional community members.  A lot of people have github accounts that don't yet have PAUSE accounts or accounts on many of the project repositories, such as those we maintain for Catalyst and DBIx::Class.

To this effect I noticed today "http://github.com/explore", which highlight treads and features project.  Seems to me projects are rated by the number of watchers and the number of forks, so lets try and get some of our big projects on that page.  If you have a github account, watch everything and don't be afraid to fork and start hacking!  The best kind of publicity is the kind other people give you...