How can I use a new Perl module without install permissions?

Question

Here is my situation: I know almost nothing about Perl but it is the only language available on a porting machine. I only have permissions to write in my local work area and not the Perl install location. I need to use the Parallel::ForkManager Perl module from CPAN

How do I use this Parallel::ForkManager without doing a central install? Is there an environment variable that I can set so it is located?

Thanks

JD

Answer 1

From perlfaq8: How do I keep my own module/library directory?:

When you build modules, tell Perl where to install the modules.

For C-based distributions, use the INSTALL_BASE option when generating Makefiles:

perl Makefile.PL INSTALL_BASE=/mydir/perl

You can set this in your CPAN.pm configuration so modules automatically install in your private library directory when you use the CPAN.pm shell:

% cpan
cpan> o conf makepl_arg INSTALL_BASE=/mydir/perl
cpan> o conf commit

For C-based distributions, use the --install_base option:

perl Build.PL --install_base /mydir/perl

You can configure CPAN.pm to automatically use this option too:

% cpan
cpan> o conf mbuild_arg --install_base /mydir/perl
cpan> o conf commit

INSTALL_BASE tells these tools to put your modules into F. See L for details on how to run your newly installed moudles.

There is one caveat with INSTALL_BASE, though, since it acts differently than the PREFIX and LIB settings that older versions of ExtUtils::MakeMaker advocated. INSTALL_BASE does not support installing modules for multiple versions of Perl or different architectures under the same directory. You should consider if you really want that , and if you do, use the older PREFIX and LIB settings. See the ExtUtils::Makemaker documentation for more details.

Answer 2

Check out this post from Mark Dominus

Excerpt:

• Set PREFIX=X when building the Makefile
• Set INSTALLDIRS=vendor and VENDORPREFIX=X when building the Makefile
  • Or maybe instead of VENDORPREFIX you need to set INSTALLVENDORLIB or something
  • Or maybe instead of setting them while building the Makefile you need to set them while running the make install target
• Set LIB=X/lib when building the Makefile
• Use PAR
• Use local::lib

Mark also gives another solution in his blog which takes a bit more space to desribe but boils down to running make and make test but not make install and then using the stuff in blib/.

Answer 3

You can use the -I (capital i) command-line switch followed by the directory where you'll place the module; or try the "use lib" directive followed by the directory.

Answer 4

use lib 'directory';
use Parallel::ForkManager;

Answer 5

There's the PERL5LIB environment variable, and -I on the command line when it comes to using the module. There are mechanisms for telling CPAN and CPANPLUS.

There is information in question 5 of the CPAN manual (perldoc CPAN, or look at CPAN itself).

Answer 6

Yes Even You Can Use CPAN

Answer 7

Consider using cpanminus, a suggested on this other thread