NAME
Class::MakeMethods::Docs::ReadMe - About Class::MakeMethods
DESCRIPTION
This is an updated release of Class::MakeMethods, for distribution
through CPAN. This release includes the Class::MakeMethods::Template and
Class::MakeMethods::Emulator modules which were previously distributed
separately.
MOTIVATION
Here's the "elevator pitch" for the module:
By passing arguments to "use Class::MakeMethods ..." statements,
you can select from a library of hundreds of common types of
methods, which are dynamically generated and installed as
subroutines in your module, simplifying the code for your class.
DISTRIBUTION AND INSTALLATION
Version
This is Class::MakeMethods v1.009, intended for general use.
This module's CPAN registration should read:
Name DSLIP Description
-------------- ----- ---------------------------------------------
Class::
::MakeMethods RdpOp Generate common types of methods
Prerequisites
In general, this module should work with Perl 5.003 or later, without
requring any modules beyond the core Perl distribution.
The following optional feature may not be available on some platforms:
* Class::MakeMethods::Attribute: The ":MakeMethod" subroutine
attribute requires Perl version 5.6 and the Attribute::Handlers
module (from CPAN).
* Class::MakeMethods::Template "--lvalue": The lvalue modifier
provided by the Template generator subclasses will only work on Perl
version 5.6 or later.
Installation
You should be able to install this module using the CPAN shell
interface:
perl -MCPAN -e 'install Class::MakeMethods'
Alternately, you may retrieve this package from CPAN or from the
author's site:
* http://search.cpan.org/~evo/
* http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-authors/id/E/EV/EVO
* http://www.evoscript.org/Class-MakeMethods/dist/
After downloading the distribution, follow the normal procedure to
unpack and install it, using the commands shown below or their local
equivalents on your system:
tar xzf Class-MakeMethods-*.tar.gz
cd Class-MakeMethods-*
perl Makefile.PL
make test && sudo make install
Thanks to the kind generosity of other members of the Perl community,
this distribution is also available repackaged in the FreeBSD "ports"
and Linux RPM formats. This may simplify installation for some users,
but be aware that these alternate distributions may lag a few versions
behind the latest release on CPAN.
* http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/ports.cgi?query=Class-MakeMethods
* http://www.rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=perl-Class-Make
Methods
Tested Platforms
This release has been tested succesfully on the following platforms:
5.6.1 on darwin
Earlier releases have also tested OK on the following platforms:
IP30-R12000-irix
OpenBSD.i386-openbsd
i386-freebsd / i386-freebsd-thread-multi
i386-linux
i386-netbsd / i386-netbsd-thread-multi
i586-linux / i586-linux-thread-multi-ld
i686-linux / i686-pld-linux-thread-multi
ia64-linux
ppc-linux
sparc-linux
sparc-netbsd
sun4-solaris
Some earlier versions failed to "make test" on MSWin32, although a
forced installation would still work; that problem should be fixed in
the most recent releases.
You may also review the current test results from CPAN-Testers:
* http://testers.cpan.org/show/Class-MakeMethods.html
BUGS AND SUPPORT
Release Status
This module has been used in a variety of production systems and has
been available on CPAN for over two years, with several other
distributions dependant on it, so it would be fair to say that it is
fully released.
However, while some portions are well tested, others are less so, and
new bug reports do trickle in occasionally. If you do encounter any
problems, please inform the author and I'll endeavor to patch them
promptly.
Additional features have been outlined for future development, but the
intent is support these by adding more options to the declaration
interface, while maintaining backward compatibility.
Known Problems
It does not appear to be possible to assign subroutine names to closures
within Perl. As a result, debugging output from Carp and similar sources
will show all generated methods as "ANON()" rather than
"YourClass::methodname()".
See the Class::MakeMethods::Docs::ToDo manpage for other outstanding
issues and development plans.
Support
If you have questions or feedback about this module, please feel free to
contact the author at the below address. Although there is no formal
support program, I do attempt to answer email promptly.
I would be particularly interested in any suggestions towards improving
the documentation, correcting any Perl-version or platform dependencies,
as well as general feedback and suggested additions.
Bug reports that contain a failing test case are greatly appreciated,
and suggested patches will be promptly considered for inclusion in
future releases.
To report bugs via the CPAN web tracking system, go to
"http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=Class-MakeMethods" or send
mail to "Dist=Class-MakeMethods#rt.cpan.org", replacing "#" with "@".
Community
If you've found this module useful or have feedback about your
experience with it, consider sharing your opinion with other Perl users
by posting your comment to CPAN's ratings system:
* http://cpanratings.perl.org/rate/?distribution=Class-MakeMethods
For more general discussion, you may wish to post a message on PerlMonks
or the comp.lang.perl.misc newsgroup:
* http://www.perlmonks.org/index.pl?node=Seekers%20of%20Perl%20Wisdom
* http://groups.google.com/groups?group=comp.lang.perl.misc
CREDITS AND COPYRIGHT
Author
Developed by Matthew Simon Cavalletto at Evolution Softworks. More free
Perl software is available at "www.evoscript.org".
You may contact the author directly at "evo@cpan.org" or
"simonm@cavalletto.org".
Feedback and Suggestions
Thanks to the following people for bug reports, suggestions, and other
feedback:
Martyn J. Pearce
Scott R. Godin
Ron Savage
Jay Lawrence
Adam Spiers
Malcolm Cook
Terrence Brannon
Jared Rhine
Peter Chen
Mike Castle
Source Material
This package was inspired by the ground-breaking original
closure-generating method maker module:
Class::MethodMaker, by Peter Seibel.
Additional inspiration, cool tricks, and blocks of useful code for this
module were extracted from the following CPAN modules:
Class::Accessor, by Michael G Schwern
Class::Contract, by Damian Conway
Class::SelfMethods, by Toby Everett
Copyright
Copyright 2002, 2003 Matthew Simon Cavalletto.
Portions copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Evolution Online Systems, Inc.
Based on Class::MethodMaker, originally developed by Peter Seibel.
Portions Copyright 1996 Organic Online. Portions Copyright 2000 Martyn
J. Pearce.
Class::MakeMethods::Emulator::accessors is based on accessors. Portions
by Steve Purkis.
Class::MakeMethods::Emulator::AccessorFast is based on
Class::Accessor::Fast. Portions Copyright 2000 Michael G Schwern.
Class::MakeMethods::Emulator::Inheritable is based on
Class::Data::Inheritable. Portions Copyright 2000 Damian Conway and
Michael G Schwern.
Class::MakeMethods::Emulator::Singleton is based on Class::Singleton, by
Andy Wardley. Portions Copyright 1998 Canon Research Centre Europe Ltd.
Class::MakeMethods::Utility::Ref is based on Ref.pm. Portions Copyright
1994 David Muir Sharnoff.
License
You may use, modify, and distribute this software under the same terms
as Perl.