NAME

ExtUtils::MakeMaker::BigHelper - Perl extension for helping ExtUtils::MakeMaker with big XS projects.

SYNOPSIS

  use ExtUtils::MakeMaker::BigHelper qw(:find);

    This exports find_files and find_directories, which might be useful with WriteMakefile
    from ExtUtils::MakeMaker.

  use ExtUtils::MakeMaker::BigHelper qw(:MY);

    Use this after a "package MY;" statement.  It will export methods that are used by
    ExtUtils::MakeMaker and available for customization.  These customized methods will
    alter the behaviour of ExtUtils::MakeMaker as documented below.

DESCRIPTION

This package extends or alters the functionality of ExtUtils::MakeMaker, in a way more suitable perhaps for large projects using a lot of perl XS.

This allows multiple .xs files in your project, strewn about the lib directory hierarchy, hopefully side by each with the corresponding .pm file. Multiple t directories are also allowed, hopefully located next to the .pm files they test.

See the man page for perlxs for more information about perl XS.

With ExtUtils::MakeMaker there can only be one .xs file, which limits the size of the project. Well, there is a way to have more, but you're left with one master .xs file responsible for bootstrapping all the other ones. The way to have two .xs files is documented, but not easy, and the way to have more than two is, well, unnatural.

With ExtUtils::MakeMaker you're allowed to provide customizations for various MakeMaker methods in the package MY. This gives you the ability to make a total overhaul of ExtUtils::MakeMaker.

This package uses the customization facility built in to ExtUtils::MakeMaker to allow multiple .xs files, multiple t files, and multiple subproject (Makefile.PL and Build.PL) directories in the lib hierarchy rather than at the top level of the project. This allows you to more conveniently use perlxs in your project, without having to package up multiple Makefile.PL projects embedded in your directories. It also allows you to convert all those .pm files with Inline code into real perlxs without using dynamite.

The methods here are meant to be exported into the package MY, to provide customizations of the ExtUtils::MakeMaker methods.

For example, here's a possible project layout:

  Changes
  lib/Big/Project.pm
  lib/Big/Project/Collections/MyLRU.xs
  lib/Big/Project/Collections/MyLRU.pm
  lib/Big/Project/Collections/t/00-usage.t
  lib/Big/Project/Collections/t/10-testlru.t
  lib/Big/Project/Worker.pm
  lib/Big/Project/Slave.pm
  lib/Big/Project/Dispatcher/Scheduler.xs
  lib/Big/Project/Dispatcher/Scheduler.pm
  lib/Big/Project/Dispatcher/t/00-usage.t
  lib/Big/Project/Dispatcher/t/10-roundrobin.t
  lib/Big/Project/clib/Makefile
  lib/Big/Project/clib/toolbox.c
  lib/Big/Project/clib/toolbox.h
  lib/Big/Project/clib/hashmaker.c
  lib/Big/Project/clib/hashmaker.h
  Makefile.PL
  MANIFEST
  README

The Makefile.PL would look like this:

  use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;

  WriteMakefile(
    NAME => "Big::Project",
    VERSION_FROM => "lib/Big/Project.pm",
    ($] >= 5.005 ?     ## Add these new keywords supported since 5.005
      (ABSTRACT       => 'Big Project',
       AUTHOR         => 'John Bigbooty <john.bigbooty@yoyodyne.com>') : ()),
    DEFINE            => '',
    LIBS              => ['-lm' ], # e.g., '-lm'
    INC               => '-I. -Ilib/Big/Project/clib',
    MYEXTLIB          => 'lib/Big/Project/clib/libmyextlib.a',
  );

  package MY;

  use ExtUtils::MakeMaker::BigHelper qw(:MY);

That should do it. It uses File::Find to descend the hierarchy and find all the .xs files and t directories.

EXPORT

None by default. Use the tags :find and :MY to export the useful things.

SEE ALSO

Mention other useful documentation such as the documentation of related modules or operating system documentation (such as man pages in UNIX), or any relevant external documentation such as RFCs or standards.

If you have a mailing list set up for your module, mention it here.

If you have a web site set up for your module, mention it here.

AUTHOR

Rob Janes, <edgewise@cpan.org>

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

Copyright (C) 2013 by Rob Janes

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself, either Perl version 5.12.3 or, at your option, any later version of Perl 5 you may have available.