What Is CPAN

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∟CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network)

∟What Is CPAN

This section provides a quick introduction on CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network).

What Is CPAN? - CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) is huge repository of Perl modules and other resources.

Main features of CPAN:

CPAN repository has over 200,000 Perl modules.
CPAN is also a Perl module, which allows you to install and manage Perl modules.
You can access CPAN module functionalities through a user interface called "shell".
The CPAN "shell" is also wrapped into a command called "cpan".
Authors can upload Perl modules through PAUSE (Perl Authors Upload SErver).

Here is how to start the CPAN shell interface by invoking the CPAN module with the "shell" command:

herong$ perl -MCPAN -e shell

cpan shell -- CPAN exploration and modules installation (v2.18)
Enter 'h' for help.

cpan[1]>

At the CPAN shell prompt, you can get help by entering the "help" command:

cpan[1]> help

Display Information                                             (ver 2.18)
 command  argument          description
 a,b,d,m  WORD or /REGEXP/  about authors, bundles, distributions, modules
 i        WORD or /REGEXP/  about any of the above
 ls       AUTHOR or GLOB    about files in the author's directory

Download, Test, Make, Install...
 get     download                    clean   make clean
 make    make (implies get)          look    open subshell in dist directory
 test    make test (implies make)    readme  display these README files
 install make install (implies test) perldo  display POD documentation

Upgrade
 r       WORDs or /REGEXP/ or NONE   report updates for matching modules
 upgrade WORDs or /REGEXP/ or NONE   upgrade matching modules

Pragmas
 force  CMD    try hard to do command  fforce CMD    try harder
 notest CMD    skip testing

Other
 h,?           display this menu       ! perl-code   eval a perl command
 o conf [opt]  set and query options   q             quit the cpan shell
 reload cpan   load CPAN.pm again      reload index  load newer indices
 autobundle    Snapshot                recent        latest CPAN uploads