NAME Perl::Manifest - Parse and examine a Perl distribution MANIFEST file DESCRIPTION Module::Manifest is a simple utility module created originally for use in Module::Inspector. It allows you to load the MANIFEST file that comes in a Perl distribution tarball, examine the contents, and perform some simple tasks. Granted, the functionality needed to do this is quite simple, but the Perl distribution MANIFEST specification contains a couple of little idiosyncracies, such as line comments and space-seperated inline comments. The use of this module means that any little nigglies are dealt with behind the scenes, and you can concentrate the main task at hand. Comparison to ExtUtil::Manifest This module is quite similar to ExtUtils::Manifest, or is at least similar in scope. However, there is a general difference in approach. ExtUtils::Manifest is imperative, requires the existance of the actual MANIFEST file on disk, and requires that your current directory remains the same. Module::Manifest treats the MANIFEST file as an object, can load a the file from anywhere on disk, and can run some of the same functionality without having to change your current directory context. That said, note that Module::Manifest is aimed at reading and checking existing MANFIFEST files, rather than creating new ones. METHODS new my $manifest = Module::Manifest->new( $filename ); The "new" constructor takes the name of a MANIFEST file on disk and and creates a new object. At the present time, a new empty manifest object cannot be created, although this may be added in a later version. Return a Module::Manifest object or dies on error. file The "file" accessor returns the absolute path of the MANIFEST file that was loaded. dir The "dir" accessor returns the path to the directory that contains the MANIFEST file, and thus SHOULD be the root of the distribution. files The "files" method returns the (relative, unix-style) list of files within the manifest. In scalar context, returns the number of files in the manifest. SUPPORT This module is stored in an Open Repository at the following address. Write access to the repository is made available automatically to any published CPAN author, and to most other volunteers on request. If you are able to submit your bug report in the form of new (failing) unit tests, or can apply your fix directly instead of submitting a patch, you are strongly encouraged to do so. The author currently maintains over 100 modules and it may take some time to deal with non-Critical bug reports or patches. This will guarentee that your issue will be addressed in the next release of the module. If you cannot provide a direct test or fix, or don't have time to do so, then regular bug reports are still accepted and appreciated via the CPAN bug tracker. For other issues, for commercial enhancement and support, or to have your write access enabled for the repository, contact the author at the email address above. AUTHORS Adam Kennedy SEE ALSO ExtUtils::Manifest COPYRIGHT Copyright 2006 Adam Kennedy. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. The full text of the license can be found in the LICENSE file included with this module.