


CONFIG_DATA(1)   Perl Programmers Reference Guide  CONFIG_DATA(1)


NAME
       config_data - Query or change configuration of Perl
       modules

SYNOPSIS
         # Get config/feature values
         config_data --module Foo::Bar --feature bazzable
         config_data --module Foo::Bar --config magic_number

         # Set config/feature values
         config_data --module Foo::Bar --set_feature bazzable=1
         config_data --module Foo::Bar --set_config magic_number=42

         # Print a usage message
         config_data --help

DESCRIPTION
       The "config_data" tool provides a command-line interface
       to the configuration of Perl modules.  By "configuration",
       we mean something akin to "user preferences" or "local
       settings".  This is a formalization and abstraction of the
       systems that people like Andreas Koenig ("CPAN::Config"),
       Jon Swartz ("HTML::Mason::Config"), Andy Wardley
       ("Template::Config"), and Larry Wall (perl's own
       Config.pm) have developed independently.

       The configuration system emplyed here was developed in the
       context of "Module::Build".  Under this system,
       configuration information for a module "Foo", for example,
       is stored in a module called "Foo::ConfigData") (I would
       have called it "Foo::Config", but that was taken by all
       those other systems mentioned in the previous
       paragraph...).  These "...::ConfigData" modules contain
       the configuration data, as well as publically accessible
       methods for querying and setting (yes, actually re-
       writing) the configuration data.  The "config_data" script
       (whose docs you are currently reading) is merely a front-
       end for those methods.  If you wish, you may create
       alternate front-ends.

       The two types of data that may be stored are called
       "config" values and "feature" values.  A "config" value
       may be any perl scalar, including references to complex
       data structures.  It must, however, be serializable using
       "Data::Dumper".  A "feature" is a boolean (1 or 0) value.

USAGE
       This script functions as a basic getter/setter wrapper
       around the configuration of a single module.  On the
       command line, specify which module's configuration you're
       interested in, and pass options to get or set "config" or
       "feature" values.  The following options are supported:





perl v5.10.1                2008-09-29                          1





CONFIG_DATA(1)   Perl Programmers Reference Guide  CONFIG_DATA(1)


       module
           Specifies the name of the module to configure
           (required).

       feature
           When passed the name of a "feature", shows its value.
           The value will be 1 if the feature is enabled, 0 if
           the feature is not enabled, or empty if the feature is
           unknown.  When no feature name is supplied, the names
           and values of all known features will be shown.

       config
           When passed the name of a "config" entry, shows its
           value.  The value will be displayed using
           "Data::Dumper" (or similar) as perl code.  When no
           config name is supplied, the names and values of all
           known config entries will be shown.

       set_feature
           Sets the given "feature" to the given boolean value.
           Specify the value as either 1 or 0.

       set_config
           Sets the given "config" entry to the given value.

       eval
           If the "--eval" option is used, the values in
           "set_config" will be evaluated as perl code before
           being stored.  This allows moderately complicated data
           structures to be stored.  For really complicated
           structures, you probably shouldn't use this command-
           line interface, just use the Perl API instead.

       help
           Prints a help message, including a few examples, and
           exits.

AUTHOR
       Ken Williams, kwilliams@cpan.org

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 1999, Ken Williams.  All rights reserved.

       This library is free software; you can redistribute it
       and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

SEE ALSO
       Module::Build(3), perl(1).









perl v5.10.1                2008-09-29                          2


