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 Changesfiles 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 This prints one line for each out-of-date module (meaning, modules locally installed but have newer versions on CPAN).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. |
-L author [ author ... ] | 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-O | Show the out-of-date modules.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 modules 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.