I've uploaded a new dev release of Module::Install to the CPAN.
This test version contains some new features that scratch a few itches of mine.
tests_recursive
The tests_recursive command tells M:I that you want to search for test scripts recursively.
By default, tests_recursive means tests_recursive('t') and will search under that directory for any directories containing test scripts.
So if you have...
t/foo.t
t/bar.t
t/subdir/baz.t
... then calling tests_recursive is effectively the same as
tests( 't/*.t t/subdir/*.t' );
I can't be entirely sure, but this should work everywhere. I'm a little unsure about mac though, hence the dev release.
Module::Install's own Makefile.PL uses tests_recursive to test it, so when you make test the new release, you should see a test script in a subdirectory get tested (it just runs a single pass test).
Also in this new version I've added the new generation of more detailed requires commands. These add a bit more granularity to the dependencies.
configure_requires module, version;
build_requires module, version;
test_requires module, version;
install_requires module, version;
The normal "requires" command remains unchanged, and is taken to mean "runtime requires".
In the current codebase, test_requires and install_requires are just aliases to build_requires, which will work as per normal. You might want to change from build_requires to test_requires, but it's not essential.
More interesting is the configure_requires command.
At the moment, this is a null implementation and does nothing.
In the near future, this will write the dependencies out to the upcoming configure_requires entry in META.yml.
configure_requires information will ONLY be available via META.yml, meaning they can't be platform-sensitive or be determined programatically at install time.
HOWEVER, in exchange for this limitation, CPAN clients will be expected detect these dependencies from the META.yml and install them BEFORE the CPAN client runs the Makefile.PL or Build.PL.
Amoungst other things, this will finally allow Module::Build dependencies to bootstrap properly, as the Module::Build used to create a package can automagically add itself as a configure_requires dependency, ensuring that the configuration module itself is installed on the user's computer.
It will also allow things like configure-time plugins and other similar functionality.
By adding these to Module::Install now, you can start to prepare for the new enhancements now, and once support is added to META.yml and the CPAN clients, some future upgrade of Module::Install will cause them to just start working.
What is difference between 'install_requires' and 'configure_requires'? Isn't 'configure_requires', 'test_requires' and 'requires' enough to represent all possible dependencies?
Re:install_requires
Aristotle on 2009-03-20T20:36:02
No. The kinds of dependencies you list are determined dynamically by executing
Makefile.PLorBuild.PL. The meaning ofconfigure_requiresis that this is what’s required to successfully runMakefile.PLorBuild.PLin the first place. In other words, without theconfigure_requiresdependency installed you cannot even determine the rest of them.
