NAME

cpan - easily interact with CPAN from the command line

SYNOPSIS 

	# with arguments and no switches, installs specified modules
	cpan module_name [ module_name ... ]

	# with switches, installs modules with extra behavior
	cpan [-cfimt] module_name [ module_name ... ]

	# without arguments, starts CPAN.pm shell
	cpan

	# without arguments, but some switches
	cpan [-ahrvACDLO]

DESCRIPTION

This script provides a command interface (not a shell) to CPAN. At the moment it uses CPAN.pm to do the work, but it is not a one-shot command runner for CPAN.pm.

Meta Options

These options are mutually exclusive, and the script processes them in this order: [hvCAar]. Once the script finds one, it ignores the others, and then exits after it finishes the task. The script ignores any other command line options.

-a
Creates the CPAN.pm autobundle with CPAN::Shell->autobundle.
-A module [ module ... ]
Shows the primary maintainers for the specified modules
-C module [ module ... ]
Show the Changes files for the specified modules
-D module [ module ... ]
Show the module details. This prints one line for each out-of-date module (meaning, modules locally installed but have newer versions on CPAN). Each line has three columns: module name, local version, and CPAN version.
-L author [ author ... ]
List the modules by the specified authors.
-h
Prints a help message.
-O
Show the out-of-date modules.
-r
Recompiles dynamically loaded modules with CPAN::Shell->recompile.
-v
Print the script version and CPAN.pm version.

Module options

These options are mutually exclusive, and the script processes them in alphabetical order. It only processes the first one it finds.

c
Runs a `make clean` in the specified module's directories.
f
Forces the specified action, when it normally would have failed.
i
Installed the specified modules.
m
Makes the specified modules.
t
Runs a `make test` on the specified modules.

Examples 

	# print a help message
	cpan -h

	# print the version numbers
	cpan -v

	# create an autobundle
	cpan -a

	# recompile modules
	cpan -r

	# install modules ( sole -i is optional )
	cpan -i Netscape::Booksmarks Business::ISBN

	# force install modules ( must use -i )
	cpan -fi CGI::Minimal URI

TO DO

BUGS

* none noted

SEE ALSO

Most behaviour, including environment variables and configuration, comes directly from CPAN.pm.

SOURCE AVAILABILITY

This source is part of a SourceForge project which always has the latest sources in CVS, as well as all of the previous releases. 

	http://sourceforge.net/projects/brian-d-foy/

If, for some reason, I disappear from the world, one of the other members of the project can shepherd this module appropriately.

CREDITS

Japheth Cleaver added the bits to allow a forced install (-f).

Jim Brandt suggest and provided the initial implementation for the up-to-date and Changes features.

Adam Kennedy pointed out that exit() causes problems on Windows where this script ends up with a .bat extension

AUTHOR

brian d foy, <bdfoy@cpan.org>

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2001-2006, brian d foy, All Rights Reserved.

You may redistribute this under the same terms as Perl itself.