Is there anything like IPython / IRB for Perl?

Question

I've grown accustomed to using IPython to try things out whilst learning Python, and now I have to learn Perl for a new job.

Is there anything out there like IPython for Perl? In particular, I'm interested in completion and access to help.

Answer 1

You can have a less featurefull environment by using the debugger "stand-alone".

perl -de 42

(42 is just a constant in order to have a non null "script" loaded).

From there, you can use My::Module and so on. I'm not sure there is a full irb-like program.

Answer 2

I usually just use perl -de0, but I've heard of:

• Devel::REPL
• perlconsole

Answer 3

From Perl FAQ:

Perl FAQ 3.7

Is there a perl shell?

Not really. Perl is a programming language, not a command interpreter.

This was the reason why I swhitched from Perl to Python. Anythow, several python shell workarounds do exist, but they are not even close to IPython