App::plx - Perl Layout Executor
plx --help # This output plx --init <perl> # Initialize layout config plx --perl # Show layout perl binary plx --libs # Show layout $PERL5LIB entries plx --paths # Show layout additional $PATH entries plx --env # Show layout env var changes plx --cpanm -llocal --installdeps . # Run cpanm from outside $PATH plx perl <args> # Run perl within layout plx -E '...' # (ditto) plx script-in-dev <args> # Run dev/ script within layout plx script-in-bin <args> # Run bin/ script within layout plx ./script <args> # Run script within layout plx script/in/cwd <args> # (ditto) plx program <args> # Run program from layout $PATH
While perl has many tools for configuring per-project development environments, using them can still be a little on the lumpy side. With Carton, you find yourself running one of
perl -Ilocal/lib/perl -Ilib bin/myapp carton exec perl -Ilib bin/myapp
With App::perlbrew,
perlbrew switch perl-5.28.0@libname perl -Ilib bin/myapp
With https://github.com/tokuhirom/plenv,
plenv exec perl -Ilib bin/myapp
and if you have more than one distinct layer of dependencies, while local::lib will happily handle that, integrating it with everything else becomes a pain in the buttocks.
As a result of this, your not-so-humble author found himself regularly having a miniature perl executor script at the root of git clones that looked something like:
#!/bin/sh eval $(perl -Mlocal::lib=--deactivate-all) export PERL5LIB=$PWD/local/lib/perl5 bin=$1 shift ~/perl5/perlbrew/perls/perl-5.28.0/bin/$bin "$@"
and then running:
./pl perl -Ilib bin/myapp
However, much like back in 2007 frustration with explaining to other developers how to set up CPAN to install into ~/perl5 and how to set up one's environment variables to then find the modules so installed led to the exercise in rage driven development that first created local::lib, walking newbies through the creation and subsequent use of such a script was not the most enjoyable experience for anybody involved.
~/perl5
Thus, the creation of this module to reduce the setup process to:
cpanm App::plx cd MyProject plx --init 5.28.0 plx --cpanm -llocal --notest --installdeps .
Follwed by being able to immediately (and even more concisely) run:
plx myapp
which will execute perl -Ilib bin/myapp with the correct perl and the relevant local::lib already in scope.
perl -Ilib bin/myapp
perl
If this seems of use to you, the "QUICKSTART" is next and the "ACTIONS" section of this document lists the full capabilities of plx. Onwards!
Let's assume we're going to be working on Foo-Bar, so we start with:
git clone git@github.com:arthur-nonymous/Foo-Bar.git cd Foo-Bar
Assuming the perl we'd get from running just perl suffices, then we next run:
plx --init
If we want a different perl - say, we have a perl5.30.1 in our path, or a perl-5.30.1 built in perlbrew, we'd instead run:
perl5.30.1
perl-5.30.1
plx --init 5.30.1
To quickly get our dependencies available, we then run:
plx --cpanm -llocal --notest --installdeps .
If the project is designed to use Carton and has a cpanfile.snapshot, instead we would run:
cpanfile.snapshot
plx --cpanm -ldevel --notest Carton plx carton install
If the goal is to test this against our current development version of another library, then we'd also want to run:
plx --config libspec add 40otherlib.dir ../Other-Lib/lib
If we want our ~/perl local::lib available within the plx environment, we can add that as the least significant libspec with:
plx --config libspec add 00tilde.ll $HOME/perl5
At which point, we're ready to go, and can run:
plx myapp # to run bin/myapp plx t/foo.t # to run one test file plx prove # to run all t/*.t test files plx -E 'say for @INC' # to run a one liner within the layout
To learn everything else plx is capable of, read on to the "ACTIONS" section coming next.
Have fun!
Under normal circumstances, one would run something like:
cpanm App::plx
However, if you want a self-contained plx script without having a cpan installer available, you can run:
mkdir bin wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shadowcat-mst/plx/master/bin/plx-packed -O bin/plx
to get the current latest packed version.
The packed version bundles local::lib and File::Which, and also includes a modified --cpanm action that uses an inline App::cpanminus.
--cpanm
App::cpanminus
plx actions that execute external commands all clear any existing environment variables that start with PERL to keep an encapsulated setup for commands being run within the layouts - and also set PERL5OPT to exclude site_perl (but not vendor_perl) to avoid locally installed modules causing unexpected effects.
plx
PERL
PERL5OPT
site_perl
vendor_perl
Having done so, plx then loads each env config entry and sets those variables - then prepends the plx specific entries to both PATH and PERL5LIB. You can add env config entries with "--config":
PATH
PERL5LIB
plx --config env add NAME VALUE
The changes that will be made to your environment can be output by calling the "--env" command.
Additionally, environment variable overrides may be provided to the "--cmd", "--exec" and "--perl" commands by providing them in NAME=VALUE format:
NAME=VALUE
# do not do this, it will be deleted PERL_RL=Perl5 plx <something> # do this instead, it will provide the environment variable to the command plx PERL_RL=Perl5 <something>
plx --help # Print synopsis plx --version # Print plx version plx --init <perl> # Initialize layout config for . plx --bareinit <perl> # Initialize bare layout config for . plx --base # Show layout base dir plx --base <base> <action> <args> # Run action with specified base dir plx --perl # Show layout perl binary plx --libs # Show layout $PERL5LIB entries plx --paths # Show layout additional $PATH entries plx --env # Show layout env var changes plx --cpanm -llocal --installdeps . # Run cpanm from outside $PATH plx --config perl # Show perl binary plx --config perl set /path/to/perl # Select exact perl binary plx --config perl set perl-5.xx.y # Select perl via $PATH or perlbrew plx --config libspec # Show lib specifications plx --config libspec add <name> <path> # Add lib specification plx --config libspec del <name> <path> # Delete lib specification plx --config env # Show additional env vars plx --config env add <name> <path> # Add env var plx --config env del <name> <path> # Delete env var plx --exec <cmd> <args> # exec()s with env vars set plx --perl <args> # Run perl with args plx --cmd <cmd> <args> # DWIM command: cmd = perl -> --perl <args> cmd = -<flag> -> --perl -<flag> <args> cmd = some/file -> --perl some/file <args> cmd = ./file -> --perl ./file <args> cmd = name -> exists .plx/cmd/<name> -> --perl .plx/cmd/<name> <args> exists dev/<name> -> --perl dev/<name> <args> exists bin/<name> -> --perl bin/<name> <args> else -> --exec <name> <args> plx --which <cmd> # Expands --cmd <cmd> without running plx <something> <args> # Shorthand for plx --cmd plx --commands <filter>? # List available commands plx --multi [ <cmd1> <args1> ] [ ... ] # Run multiple actions plx --showmulti [ ... ] [ ... ] # Show multiple action running plx [ ... ] [ ... ] # Shorthand for plx --multi plx --userinit <perl> # Init ~/.plx with ~/perl5 ll plx --installself # Installs plx and cpanm into layout plx --installenv # Appends plx --env call to .bashrc plx --userstrap <perl> # userinit+installself+installenv
Prints out the usage information (i.e. the "SYNOPSIS") for plx.
plx --init # resolve 'perl' in $PATH plx --init perl # (ditto) plx --init 5.28.0 # looks for perl5.28.0 in $PATH # or perl-5.28.0 in perlbrew plx --init /path/to/some/perl # uses the absolute path directly
Initializes the layout.
If a perl name is passed, attempts to resolve it via $PATH and perlbrew and sets the result as the layout perl; if not looks for just perl.
$PATH
perlbrew
Creates the following libspec config:
25-local.ll local 50-devel.ll devel 75-lib.dir lib
Identical to --init but creates no default configs except for perl.
--init
plx --base plx --base <base> <action> <args>
Without arguments, shows the selected base dir - plx finds this by checking for a .plx directory in the current directory, and if not tries the parent directory, recursively. The search stops either when plx finds a .git directory, to avoid accidentally escaping a project repository, or at the last directory before the root - i.e. plx will test /home but not /.
.plx
.git
/home
/
With arguments, specifies a base dir to use, and then invokes the rest of the arguments with that base dir selected - so for example one can make a default configuration in $HOME available as plh by running:
$HOME
plh
plx --init $HOME alias plh='plx --base $HOME'
Prints the directories that will be added to PERL5LIB, one per line.
These will include the lib/perl5 subdirectory for each ll entry in the libspecs, and the directory for each dir entry.
lib/perl5
ll
dir
Prints the directories that will be added to PATH, one per line.
These will include the containing directory of the environment's perl binary if not already in PATH, followed by the bin directories of any ll entries in the libspecs.
bin
Prints the changes that will be made to your environment variables, in a syntax that is (hopefully) correct for your current shell.
plx --cpanm -Llocal --installdeps . plx --cpanm -ldevel App::Ack
Finds the cpanm binary in the PATH that plx was executed from, and executes it using the layout's perl binary and environment variables.
cpanm
Requires the user to specify a local::lib to install into via -l or -L in order to avoid installing modules into unexpected places.
-l
-L
Note that this action exists primarily for bootstrapping, and if you want to use a different installer such as App::cpm, you'd install it with:
plx --cpanm -ldevel App::cpm
and then subsequently run e.g.
plx cpm install App::Ack
to install modules.
plx --exec <command> <args>
Sets up the layout's environment variables and execs the command.
exec
plx --perl plx --perl <options> <script> <args>
Without arguments, sugar for --config perl.
--config perl
Otherwise, sets up the layout's environment variables and execs the layout's perl with the given options and arguments.
plx --cmd <cmd> <args> cmd = perl -> --perl <args> cmd = -<flag> -> --perl -<flag> <args> cmd = some/file -> --perl some/file <args> cmd = ./file -> --perl ./file <args> cmd = name -> exists .plx/cmd/<name> -> --perl .plx/cmd/<name> <args> exists dev/<name> -> --perl dev/<name> <args> exists bin/<name> -> --perl bin/<name> <args> else -> --exec <name> <args>
Note: Much like the devel local::lib is created to allow for the installation of out-of-band dependencies that aren't going to be needed in production, the dev directory is supported to allow for the easy addition of development time only sugar commands. Note that since perl will re-exec anything with a non-perl shebang, one can add wrappers here ala:
devel
dev
$ cat dev/prove #!/bin/sh exec prove -j8 "$@"
plx --which <cmd>
Outputs the expanded form of a --cmd invocation without running it.
--cmd
plx --config # Show current config plx --config <name> # Show current <name> config plx --config <name> <operation> # Invoke config operation
plx --config perl plx --config perl set <spec>
If the spec passed to set contains a / character, plx assumes that it's an absolute bath and records it as-is.
set
If not, we go a-hunting.
First, if the spec begins with a 5, we replace it with perl5.
5
perl5
Second, we search $PATH for a binary of that name, and record it if so.
Third, if the (current) spec begins perl5, we replace it with perl-5.
perl-5
Fourth, we search $PATH for a perlbrew binary, and ask it if it has a perl named after the spec, and record that if so.
Fifth, we shrug and hope the user can come up with an absolute path next time.
Note: The original spec passed to set is recorded in .plx/perl.spec, so if you intend to share the .plx directory across multiple machines via version control or otherwise, remove/exclude the .plx/perl file and plx will automatically attempt to re-locate the perl on first invocation.
.plx/perl.spec
.plx/perl
plx --config libspec plx --config libspec add <name> <spec> plx --config libspec del <name> <spec>
A libspec config entry consists of a name and a spec, and the show output prints them space separated one per line, with enough spaces to make the specs align:
The part of the name before the last . is not semantically significant to plx, but is used for asciibetical sorting of the libspec entries to determine in which order to apply them.
.
The part after must be either ll for a local::lib, or dir for a bare lib directory.
When loaded, the spec is (if relative) resolved to an absolute path relative to the layout root, then all .. entries and symlinks resolved to give a final path used to set up the layout environment.
..
plx --config env plx --config env add <name> <value> plx --config env del <name> <value>
Manages additional environment variables, which are set immediately before any environment changes required for the current "libspec" and "perl" settings are processed.
plx --commands # all commands plx --commands c # all commands starting with c plx --commands /json/ # all commands matching /json/
Lists available commands, name first, then full path.
If a filter argument is given, treats it as a fixed prefix to filter the command list, unless the filter is /re/ in which case the slashes are stripped and the filter is treated as a regexp.
/re/
plx --multi [ --init ] [ --config perl set 5.28.0 ]
Runs multiple plx commands from a single invocation delimited by [ ... ].
[ ... ]
plx --showmulti [ --init ] [ --config perl set 5.28.0 ]
Outputs approximate plx invocations that would be run by --multi.
--multi
Same as --init but assumes $HOME as base and sets up only a single libspec pointing at $HOME/perl5.
$HOME/perl5
Installs App::plx and App::cpanminus into the highest-numbered local::lib within the layout.
(bash only currently)
Appends an eval line to set up the layout environment to the user's bashrc.
Convenience command for --userinit plus --installself plus --installenv.
--userinit
--installself
--installenv
mst - Matt S. Trout (cpan:MSTROUT) <mst@shadowcat.co.uk>
None yet - maybe this software is perfect! (ahahahahahahahahaha)
Copyright (c) 2020 the App::plx "AUTHOR" and "CONTRIBUTORS" as listed above.
This library is free software and may be distributed under the same terms as perl itself.
To install App::plx, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install App::plx
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.