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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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":
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:
# 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.
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.
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 /.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Requires the user to specify a local::lib to install into via -l or
-L in order to avoid installing modules into unexpected places.
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.
plx --perl
plx --perl <options> <script> <args>
Without arguments, sugar for --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:
$ cat dev/prove
#!/bin/sh
exec prove -j8 "$@"
plx --which <cmd>
Outputs the expanded form of a --cmd invocation without running it.
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.
If not, we go a-hunting.
First, if the spec begins with a 5, we replace it with 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.
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 --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:
25-local.ll local
50-devel.ll devel
75-lib.dir lib
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.
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.
Same as --init but assumes $HOME as base and sets up only a single
libspec pointing at $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.
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.