ExtUtils::Manifest

Section: Perl Programmers Reference Guide (3perl)
Updated: 2005-03-28
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NAME

ExtUtils::Manifest - utilities to write and check a MANIFEST file

SYNOPSIS

    require ExtUtils::Manifest;

    ExtUtils::Manifest::mkmanifest;

    ExtUtils::Manifest::manicheck;

    ExtUtils::Manifest::filecheck;

    ExtUtils::Manifest::fullcheck;

    ExtUtils::Manifest::skipcheck;

    ExtUtils::Manifest::manifind();

    ExtUtils::Manifest::maniread($file);

    ExtUtils::Manifest::manicopy($read,$target,$how);

DESCRIPTION

mkmanifest() writes all files in and below the current directory to a file named in the global variable $ExtUtils::Manifest::MANIFEST (which defaults to "MANIFEST") in the current directory. It works similar to

    find . -print

but in doing so checks each line in an existing "MANIFEST" file and includes any comments that are found in the existing "MANIFEST" file in the new one. Anything between white space and an end of line within a "MANIFEST" file is considered to be a comment. Filenames and comments are separated by one or more TAB characters in the output. All files that match any regular expression in a file "MANIFEST.SKIP" (if such a file exists) are ignored.

manicheck() checks if all the files within a "MANIFEST" in the current directory really do exist. It only reports discrepancies and exits silently if MANIFEST and the tree below the current directory are in sync.

filecheck() finds files below the current directory that are not mentioned in the "MANIFEST" file. An optional file "MANIFEST.SKIP" will be consulted. Any file matching a regular expression in such a file will not be reported as missing in the "MANIFEST" file.

fullcheck() does both a manicheck() and a filecheck().

skipcheck() lists all the files that are skipped due to your "MANIFEST.SKIP" file.

manifind() returns a hash reference. The keys of the hash are the files found below the current directory.

maniread($file) reads a named "MANIFEST" file (defaults to "MANIFEST" in the current directory) and returns a HASH reference with files being the keys and comments being the values of the HASH. Blank lines and lines which start with "#" in the "MANIFEST" file are discarded.

"manicopy($read,$target,$how)" copies the files that are the keys in the HASH %$read to the named target directory. The HASH reference $read is typically returned by the maniread() function. This function is useful for producing a directory tree identical to the intended distribution tree. The third parameter $how can be used to specify a different methods of ``copying''. Valid values are "cp", which actually copies the files, "ln" which creates hard links, and "best" which mostly links the files but copies any symbolic link to make a tree without any symbolic link. Best is the default.

MANIFEST.SKIP

The file MANIFEST.SKIP may contain regular expressions of files that should be ignored by mkmanifest() and filecheck(). The regular expressions should appear one on each line. Blank lines and lines which start with "#" are skipped. Use "\#" if you need a regular expression to start with a sharp character. A typical example:

    \bRCS\b
    ^MANIFEST\.
    ^Makefile$
    ~$
    \.html$
    \.old$
    ^blib/
    ^MakeMaker-\d

EXPORT_OK

&mkmanifest, &manicheck, &filecheck, &fullcheck, &maniread, and &manicopy are exportable.

GLOBAL VARIABLES

$ExtUtils::Manifest::MANIFEST defaults to "MANIFEST". Changing it results in both a different "MANIFEST" and a different "MANIFEST.SKIP" file. This is useful if you want to maintain different distributions for different audiences (say a user version and a developer version including RCS).

$ExtUtils::Manifest::Quiet defaults to 0. If set to a true value, all functions act silently.

DIAGNOSTICS

All diagnostic output is sent to "STDERR".

Not in MANIFEST: file: is reported if a file is found, that is missing in the "MANIFEST" file which is excluded by a regular expression in the file "MANIFEST.SKIP".
No such file: file: is reported if a file mentioned in a "MANIFEST" file does not exist.
MANIFEST: $!: is reported if "MANIFEST" could not be opened.
Added to MANIFEST: file: is reported by mkmanifest() if $Verbose is set and a file is added to MANIFEST. $Verbose is set to 1 by default.

AUTHOR

Andreas Koenig <koenig@franz.ww.TU-Berlin.DE>

This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 00:43:34 GMT, July 19, 2025