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.