NAME

Module::Runtime - runtime module handling

SYNOPSIS

        use Module::Runtime qw(
                $module_name_rx is_module_name check_module_name
                module_notional_filename require_module
        );

        if($module_name =~ /\A$module_name_rx\z/o) { ...
        if(is_module_name($module_name)) { ...
        check_module_name($module_name);

        $notional_filename = module_notional_filename($module_name);
        require_module($module_name);

        use Module::Runtime qw(use_module use_package_optimistically);

        $bi = use_module("Math::BigInt", 1.31)->new("1_234");
        $widget = use_package_optimistically("Local::Widget")->new;

        use Module::Runtime qw(
                $top_module_spec_rx $sub_module_spec_rx
                is_module_spec check_module_spec
                compose_module_name
        );

        if($spec =~ /\A$top_module_spec_rx\z/o) { ...
        if($spec =~ /\A$sub_module_spec_rx\z/o) { ...
        if(is_module_spec("Standard::Prefix", $spec)) { ...
        check_module_spec("Standard::Prefix", $spec);

        $module_name =
                compose_module_name("Standard::Prefix", $spec);

DESCRIPTION

The functions exported by this module deal with runtime handling of Perl modules, which are normally handled at compile time.

REGULAR EXPRESSIONS

These regular expressions do not include any anchors, so to check whether an entire string matches a syntax item you must supply the anchors yourself.

$module_name_rx

Matches a valid Perl module name in bareword syntax. The rule for this, precisely, is: the string must consist of one or more segments separated by ::; each segment must consist of one or more identifier characters (alphanumerics plus "_"); the first character of the string must not be a digit. Thus "IO::File", "warnings", and "foo::123::x_0" are all valid module names, whereas "IO::" and "1foo::bar" are not. Only ASCII characters are permitted; Perl's handling of non-ASCII characters in source code is inconsistent. ' separators are not permitted.

$top_module_spec_rx

Matches a module specification for use with "compose_module_name", where no prefix is being used.

$sub_module_spec_rx

Matches a module specification for use with "compose_module_name", where a prefix is being used.

FUNCTIONS

Basic module handling

is_module_name(ARG)

Returns a truth value indicating whether ARG is a plain string satisfying Perl module name syntax as described for "$module_name_rx".

is_valid_module_name(ARG)

Deprecated alias for "is_module_name".

check_module_name(ARG)

Check whether ARG is a plain string satisfying Perl module name syntax as described for "$module_name_rx". Return normally if it is, or die if it is not.

module_notional_filename(NAME)

Generates a notional relative filename for a module, which is used in some Perl core interfaces. The NAME is a string, which should be a valid module name (one or more ::-separated segments). If it is not a valid name, the function dies.

The notional filename for the named module is generated and returned. This filename is always in Unix style, with / directory separators and a .pm suffix. This kind of filename can be used as an argument to require, and is the key that appears in %INC to identify a module, regardless of actual local filename syntax.

require_module(NAME)

This is essentially the bareword form of require, in runtime form. The NAME is a string, which should be a valid module name (one or more ::-separated segments). If it is not a valid name, the function dies.

The module specified by NAME is loaded, if it hasn't been already, in the manner of the bareword form of require. That means that a search through @INC is performed, and a byte-compiled form of the module will be used if available.

The return value is as for require. That is, it is the value returned by the module itself if the module is loaded anew, or 1 if the module was already loaded.

Structured module use

use_module(NAME[, VERSION])

This is essentially use in runtime form, but without the importing feature (which is fundamentally a compile-time thing). The NAME is handled just like in require_module above: it must be a module name, and the named module is loaded as if by the bareword form of require.

If a VERSION is specified, the VERSION method of the loaded module is called with the specified VERSION as an argument. This normally serves to ensure that the version loaded is at least the version required. This is the same functionality provided by the VERSION parameter of use.

On success, the name of the module is returned. This is unlike "require_module", and is done so that the entire call to "use_module" can be used as a class name to call a constructor, as in the example in the synopsis.

use_package_optimistically(NAME[, VERSION])

This is an analogue of "use_module" for the situation where there is uncertainty as to whether a package/class is defined in its own module or by some other means. It attempts to arrange for the named package to be available, either by loading a module or by doing nothing and hoping.

An attempt is made to load the named module (as if by the bareword form of require). If the module cannot be found then it is assumed that the package was actually already loaded but wasn't detected correctly, and no error is signalled. That's the optimistic bit.

This is mostly the same operation that is performed by the base pragma to ensure that the specified base classes are available. The behaviour of base was simplified in version 2.18, and this function changed to match.

If a VERSION is specified, the VERSION method of the loaded package is called with the specified VERSION as an argument. This normally serves to ensure that the version loaded is at least the version required. On success, the name of the package is returned. These aspects of the function work just like "use_module".

Module name composition

is_module_spec(PREFIX, SPEC)

Returns a truth value indicating whether SPEC is valid input for "compose_module_name". See below for what that entails. Whether a PREFIX is supplied affects the validity of SPEC, but the exact value of the prefix is unimportant, so this function treats PREFIX as a truth value.

is_valid_module_spec(PREFIX, SPEC)

Deprecated alias for "is_module_spec".

check_module_spec(PREFIX, SPEC)

Check whether SPEC is valid input for "compose_module_name". Return normally if it is, or die if it is not.

compose_module_name(PREFIX, SPEC)

This function is intended to make it more convenient for a user to specify a Perl module name at runtime. Users have greater need for abbreviations and context-sensitivity than programmers, and Perl module names get a little unwieldy. SPEC is what the user specifies, and this function translates it into a module name in standard form, which it returns.

SPEC has syntax approximately that of a standard module name: it should consist of one or more name segments, each of which consists of one or more identifier characters. However, / is permitted as a separator, in addition to the standard ::. The two separators are entirely interchangeable.

Additionally, if PREFIX is not undef then it must be a module name in standard form, and it is prefixed to the user-specified name. The user can inhibit the prefix addition by starting SPEC with a separator (either / or ::).

SEE ALSO

base, "require" in perlfunc, "use" in perlfunc

AUTHOR

Andrew Main (Zefram) <zefram@fysh.org>

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 Andrew Main (Zefram) <zefram@fysh.org>

LICENSE

This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.